NGE: Mitigation
by FourthImpact
Summary: Mitigation: The act of making a condition or consequence less severe. In the wake of the battle against the sixth angel, something leaves Gendo Ikari scrambling to preserve his scenario. What exactly is Project Mitigation? Who activated it? These questions will set into motion a chain of events that even the Master of Puppets himself could not properly guard against.
1. Deviation

A/N: I don't really know what to say. I'm relatively new to the NGE fandom. Seriously, my first exposure to it was when a friend made me watch both of the _Rebuild of Evangelion_ movies a couple weeks ago. I was intrigued, so I went and hunted down the episodes and _EoE_. I finished all that about a week ago.

This…came to me a few days after I finished. I was listening to some music, and found a number of scenes formulating in my head. I've never written a fanfic before, but the plot bunnies wouldn't go away, so I got to work. I hope you enjoy it. After the opening scene, things start as a straight retelling of Episode 8, but go off the established rails pretty quickly.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Neon Genesis Evangelion_. As if that comes as a surprise to anyone here.

* * *

"Shit."

The curse cut through the air almost as effectively as the alarm that had prompted it. The chamber was empty, save for the one person strapped to a complex piece of machinery in the middle. She hadn't been the one to swear though.

Her eyes drifted upward, toward the safety glass that separated the test chamber from the control room. She could barely make out a solitary figure darting between several computers, trying to figure out the cause of the alarm. "What's wrong?" Her voice wavered, ever so slightly.

It took a second for the answer to come. "It says there's a resonance cascade originating in node seven."

The woman sighed. Less than helpful. "And what the hell does that mean?"

"How the hell should I know? They didn't exactly leave a user manual up here."

"Well hurry up. I'd rather not have this thing blow up on me halfway through." A few seconds later, the alarms fell silent. "Did you get it?"

He hesitated for a second before answering. "Yeah. You're good."

She breathed a sigh of relief as the machine's ever present hum rose in pitch. A few lights turned green and the rotating apparatus around her head sped up. "Thank god."

"Screen says it's entering the final phase. It's locked in now." She saw his silhouette type something into one of the computers. "As long as that thing stays in one piece, it's going to finish."

She felt tears build up in the corners of her eyes as a cautious smile lifted the corners of her mouth. This was really working. Maybe everything really would be okay. "Then you're going to start it up again and come down here yourself, right?"

No response.

She looked up to the control room again, smile falling. "Right?"

"Not exactly."

She tried to sit up from the reclining position the machine left her in, but the restraints made it impossible. "What do you mean, 'not exactly?'"

"I couldn't stop the resonance cascade. I just managed to reroute the power flow so that the failure would happen somewhere else."

"You mean…" her voice cracked and she trailed off.

He walked up to the glass to look down at her. "We're only getting one use out of this thing."

The tears, no longer of relief, spilled from her eyes and ran down her cheeks. "But we're supposed to do this together. We have to do this together."

He made a noise like he was choking back a sob. "I know. I'm sorry. I wish I'd been able to do something else."

Something occurred to her. "Wh-where did you reroute the power?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't think of that."

Eyes wide, she repeated the question, "Where did you reroute the power?"

He put a hand against the glass, "The only place it would let me. Up here. It should protect you from the blast enough."

Her voice started to rise, "What the hell are you doing? Get out of there?"

"The doors sealed when I started the machine." His silhouette turned to look at something. "It'll be done in thirty seconds."

The woman in the seat sobbed openly now. "You bastard. You can't do this to me."

He was sobbing too now. "I'm sorry. But at least you'll get to live on."

The machine's noise pitched higher again as more lights blazed green. The thing spinning above her head was a blur now. "I don't want to if you're not with me."

"I will be, in a way. I'll always be with you." He looked back again. "Two seconds. Listen, never forget that I love…" He was cut off as a massive explosion ripped through the control room. The force threw his body against the glass, which held for a fraction of a second before exploding into the test chamber.

She watched in horror as the fire rushed toward her, engulfing his corpse. She would be with him soon enough now. In her state, she didn't notice the machine abruptly stop spinning as the last light changed to green. She closed her eyes tightly and waited for the end.

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion: Mitigation**

By FourthImpact

* * *

Shinji Ikari winced at the throbbing pain in his cheek; still not entirely sure about what had just happened to warrant getting slapped. Misato had just introduced the Second Child when a gust of wind blew across the deck of the _Over the Rainbow _and pushed up the girl's sundress. Sure, he could see why she'd be embarrassed, even upset. But how did that translate into a slappable offense?

He glanced at his two friends. Kensuke seemed miserable. He hadn't been slapped, per se, but Asuka did smack his video camera back into his face. That would probably leave a nasty bruise.

Toji simply looked pissed. An angry handprint adorned his cheek; similar to the one Shinji was sure he was now sporting. "What did you do that for?" Yep. Toji was pissed.

Asuka seemed more or less unfazed, "That's the viewing fee. Quite the bargain, no?"

Toji scowled. "A little overpriced, but that's okay. Here's your change." Shinji realized what was happening an instant before it actually happened. Toji grabbed his pants and shoved them down, underwear and all.

Asuka's face went from horror to rage in under half a second. She started shouting in German while she hit the jock again. She stepped past Toji, who now sported a second handprint on his face. "So, which one of you is the famous third child?" She frowned as she looked at Toji out of the corner of her eye, "Ach, nein."

Misato chuckled, "Don't worry, Asuka. It's him." She tilted her head toward Shinji.

The redhead leaned toward the nervous Third Child, studying him curiously. "Hm," she finally said. "Not much to look at." She brushed past him without another word.

_Can't say the same for her_, thought Shinji, watching her walk away. _She's gorgeous. It's just a shame that she's so…mean._

A tense visit to the bridge and a cramped elevator ride later, Shinji found himself seated in the ship's mess hall. Things were less than comfortable. He glanced around the table. Asuka was next to him, with Ryoji Kaji, her guardian, on her other side. On the opposite side of the table were Kensuke, who had finally stopped moving and put his camera down for a minute, Toji, and Misato.

He watched Kaji curiously. Shinji had taken an immediate liking to the man. He seemed very amiable. Hell, even Asuka acted kind around him. Misato, on the other hand, looked like she couldn't decide on how to react to the scruffy looking man's presence. She seemed to be switching between wanting to kill Kaji and wanting to curl up and die. At the moment she looked closer to killing him.

For his part, Kaji was playfully prodding Misato's foot with his own. "So, do you have a boyfriend right now?" Shinji was suddenly convinced that Kaji had a death wish. He knew that look on Misato's face – she was not in a mood to be messed with.

"I don't think that's any of your business, is it?" Misato, Shinji noted, was purposefully not looking at Kaji.

Kaji just smirked as he leaned back in his seat and sipped his coffee. "I'm hurt." The smirk turned into a grin as he leaned forward and looked at Shinji. "So, I understand that you're living with Katsuragi."

The Third Child was a little surprised at being addressed so suddenly, but managed not to show it. "Uh…yeah."

The grin was joined by a manic gleam in his eye. "Tell me something. Is she still so…wild in bed?"

That certainly livened things up. Everyone shouted in shock and froze. Misato flushed a truly impressive shade of red. Kaji just watched the aftermath of his question, that same peaceful grin still on his face. Misato leaned toward him, anger written in all of her features, "Just what are you implying by that?"

Kaji looked back at Shinji, who by now had recovered from the shock of the question and was only mildly embarrassed by the implication. "No, she hasn't changed at all, has she, Shinji?

The boy cocked his head, "Um, I guess. But how did you know what my name was?"

"Well, I ought to know you. You're pretty famous in the defense business you know. The famous Third Child who piloted an Eva in his first battle with no training."

"Oh, that. I was just lucky." Shinji felt his face heat up at the praise. It wasn't helped by the death glare Asuka was shooting him.

#

* * *

#

_What am I doing here?_ Shinji thought as he watched Asuka move to lift the edge an enormous tarpaulin. The redhead had simply shown up and dragged him off without any kind of explanation. All of his questions had been answered only with annoyed grunts from the girl.

He was about to try asking again, but the question became moot when he saw what was under the tarp. "That's really an interesting color. I didn't know it was red." Not exactly mind blowing conversation, but it was the first thing that had come to his mind.

Asuka responded without even taking her eyes off of the Evangelion. "That's not all that's different about Unit-02." There was a distinct note of pride in the girl's voice

That note of pride became a full-blown symphony as she led him below deck for a closer look at the mecha. Shinji only half-listened as she explained all the ways in which Unit-02 was superior to Units 00 and 01.

By the time they were actually in the Eva's holding bay, he was pretty much in full autopilot mode, also known as the "uh-huh" setting.

Finally, her speech seemed to be coming to a crescendo. "My Unit-02 is the world's first true Evangelion. Created for actual combat conditions, it's the final production model." The ending was lessened somewhat by the waver in her voice as she struggled to keep her balance from atop the robot's head. Something had shaken the entire ship.

Shinji looked around in a panic. "What was that?"

"Undersea shockwave. And it sounded close." She jumped down and led him above deck to see what was going on.

When they were in open air again, Asuka ran ahead to the railing, Shinji only a second behind her. They got there just in time to see…something hit one of the fleet's battleships and head toward another.

Shinji felt a ball of dread settle somewhere in his stomach. "It can't be. Angels."

Asuka sounded torn between nervousness and excitement. "An angel? You mean a real one?"

Another ship was hit and started sinking. Shinji stared at the destruction in horror. "This is really bad. We've got to go back and find Misato."

Asuka giggled as an evil smirk spread across her face. "Wunderbar," she muttered.

As klaxons started blaring across the entire fleet, she grabbed Shinji's wrist and led him back into the ship's interior. In spite of the panic and confusion racing through his mind, he still managed to notice that Asuka's hand was incredibly soft.

She was yelling at him in German when they passed a stairwell. She stopped and whirled around on Shinji, her long red hair fanning out. "Wait here a second."

Shinji rolled his eyes as Asuka ran down the stairs and out of his sightline. "I don't believe this."

He waited for a minute, hearing only the occasional hurried sound from the other pilot. His curiosity getting the better of him, Shinji leaned over the railing to see what was going on. He was treated to quite the eyeful. Her hair cascaded over her bare shoulders as she struggled into a red plugsuit. He caught a glimpse of the side of her breast as she moved an arm. Shinji's cheeks flushed.

Then Asuka noticed him looking. "Don't peep, you idiot."

Shinji yelped and quickly withdrew his head, apologizing profusely. Asuka kept yelling about how perverted he was, and indeed, the perversion of boys in general, for the entire rest of the time that she was dressing.

They ran to Unit-02's holding tank as the sounds of artillery fire echoed through the ship. When they finally reached the Eva, Asuka threw a spare plugsuit at him. Shinji stared blankly at it. She groaned in frustration, "Well, put it on. Don't just stand there."

Shinji eyed the red bundle in his arms uncertainly. He ultimately decided that it was better to just do as the short-tempered girl said than to risk her wrath. He retreated around a corner and hastily donned the plugsuit.

When he went back, Asuka was climbing the Eva and working to bring out the entry plug. Shinji felt extremely uncomfortable in the plugsuit. It was obviously designed for a girl. It left too much room up top and not enough down below. Not to mention he just looked plain ridiculous. "Okay, but what do we need these plugsuits for, Asuka."

She growled in frustration, "Baka. We're going to defeat that angel with my Unit-02." As is to accentuate her point, the entry plug popped out of the Eva's back, ready to accept a pilot. Or pilots as the case may be.

"No way. Does Misato know about this?"

The German girl stared down imperiously, hands on her hips, "I'll get her permission after the fact."

Inside the Eva's cockpit, Shinji felt the familiar, almost drowning sensation that always came with LCL immersion. This quickly passed, leaving him only slightly more uncomfortable than he usually was in an Evangelion cockpit. Usually, he was at least in a marginally comfortable chair. Asuka had taken the seat though, as she started running through the machine's startup routine. The German was unfamiliar to him, but he had started an Eva enough times to recognize what she was doing.

He just crouched behind the chair and tried to be as unobtrusive as possible. That proved fruitless as warning lights started flashing all around the cockpit. "It's a program error," he said lamely.

Asuka looked annoyed, not that was something particularly new, "It's thought noise. I told you not to disturb me."

Shinji felt a little offense. He hadn't done anything. "What do you mean?"

"You're thinking in Japanese, aren't you? If you must think, do it in German."

That ticked the boy off a little for some reason. He decided to be a little bit of a dick in response. He put on the most innocent voice he could manage, "Well, I'll try. Strudel. Bratwurst."

Asuka barely bit back a frustrated yell. "Dummkopf. We'll start over again. Switch language to Japanese."

She ran through the startup sequence again, this time in Japanese, and started to stand up the Eva. While Misato and the Admiral on the _Over the Rainbow_ argued about jurisdiction over the radio, something occurred to Shinji. Unit-02 was equipped with B-type equipment at the moment. B-type equipment was not made for aquatic combat. He pointed this out to Asuka. "If we fall into the ocean, we're done for."

Her voice revealed nothing but determination, "Then we won't do that."

"Shinji, are you in there too?" Misato had apparently heard him over the radio.

"Yes, ma'am. Hi."

"This is our chance," Misato whispered. "Asuka, take off," she shouted.

Unit-02 launched out of its holding tank and landed on another battleship, crushing some of the ship's structure. The tarp that had previously covered the Eva was draped around it like a cloak.

Shinji pointed out that, since the mecha was running on backup power, they only had less than a minute before it shut down. Asuka radioed for Misato to prepare the external power cable. All that was left was to somehow get to the power cable, plug in, and kill the angel, all without falling into the ocean. _Piece of cake_, thought Shinji, the words dripping with sarcasm even in his own mind.

After a nerve-wracking game of hopscotch, a phrase which Shinji would have probably laughed at had the circumstances been less frightening, Unit-02 landed on the _Over the Rainbow_'s flight deck and plugged in. Shinji idly wondered how much money it would cost to repair the damage they had just done to the UN's Pacific fleet by jumping on so many ships.

Shinji spotted the angel approaching and pointed it out to Asuka. He thought of another problem to add to their list. "We don't have any guns."

Again, Asuka showed no concern, "The progressive knife oughta do it." The Eva drew the blade from its storage place in the left shoulder fin.

As the angel breached the ocean's surface, Shinji stared in wonder. "It's gigantic."

Asuka smirked, "The bigger they are…"

As Unit-02 braced for the angel's attack, the massive, fish-like monster leapt up and landed on the supercarrier's flight deck. For one brief, glorious second, it seemed like they were holding their own against the beast. Then the robot lost its footing and went tumbling into the ocean, followed closely by the angel.

Misato's voice came over the radio again. "Asuka, it's impossible to fight underwater using the B-type equipment."

"Well, you know what they say. You never…never know until…" she trailed off in midsentence. Shinji looked over in concern. "Until you…" The girl's entire body convulsed, as though she were having a seizure, then went limp.

Shinji was by her side in an instant. "Asuka. Are you okay?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and started to shake her. "Asuka?"

"Guys, what's going on in there?"

"I don't know. Asuka just had a seizure or something and passed out." Shinji bit his lip nervously. He pressed two fingers against her neck. "Her pulse is still okay, so she's alive still."

Misato let out a sigh. "Damn it. Okay, Shinji, you're going to have to do this on your own. We'll figure something out."

The boy nodded, "Right." He very carefully picked Asuka up out of the chair and gently laid her down in the spot he had previously been crouched in. Lowering himself into the seat, he took the controls and frowned. It felt…different from when he piloted Unit-01. It was strange. "There's no way Asuka's going to be happy about this," he muttered as he tested the controls. "Misato. A lot of the systems are barely responding."

"It's the B-type equipment. It's not designed for underwater operations."

"Yeah," he whispered. "This is going to be fun."

"Shinji, brace yourself. The angel's coming back around."

Sure enough, the massive demon fish was coming straight for him. When it was a few hundred yards away, it opened its mouth. Shinji caught the briefest glimpse of the core before it was on him. The Eva shook as the angel snared it in its teeth. Shinji grunted in pain as he felt its jaw tighten around the machine. It was far from the worst pain he had experienced while piloting, but that didn't make it pleasant. Asuka's unconscious form bounced a little with the impact.

Outside the cockpit, Shinji watched the undersea landscape whip by as the angel pulled him away from the fleet. He tried to fight against the massive jaw of the beast, but couldn't get any leverage. The teeth remained firmly pressed against Unit-02's midsection. "Misato, it's got me. I can't get loose."

He could hear Misato shout something. "Listen, there's just over a thousand meters of cable left up here. When it runs out it should give the angel a little pullback. If we're lucky that will be enough for you to get free."

"And if that doesn't work?"

"It has to work." The woman's voice was tight his stress and worry. "Tell us the instant you're free and we'll start pulling you back." He heard some noise over the radio that he couldn't make out. "Kaji," Misato exclaimed. Some more conversation that Shinji couldn't make out. "Bastard," she shouted. She took a deep breath, and in a much calmer voice spoke to Shinji again. "One hundred and fifty meters. Get ready."

Shinji's grip tightened on the controls as he readied himself. "Right." Asuka still didn't make a sound.

When the cable snapped taut, there was a wild instant where Shinji thought that he might fly out of the seat and hit the end of the entry plug. Instead, he felt the painful pressure of the angel's bite loosen and slide down until it was focused on his lower left calf. He was mostly free. He brought up the Eva's free leg and slammed the foot against the jaw. At the same time, he pulled the still trapped leg toward him with all of his might. "Please, god, let this work," he whispered.

It was enough, though just barely. Unit-02's foot scraped free of the angel's mouth and began sinking. "Misato, now!" Immediately, he felt the Eva being pulled backwards, toward the fleet. Shinji's eyes widened as the angel turned around and started chasing him. "Uh, Mi-Misato. It's gaining on me."

"I know, Shinji. It's going to catch you. But we have a plan. When it gets you, try to be in a position where you can get its mouth open."

"What? What's your plan?" Outside the cockpit, the angel was taking up an increasingly uncomfortable percentage of Shinji's view.

He could practically hear Misato's smirk. "We're going to ram a couple battleships down its throat."

Shinji had absolutely no response to that. Not that he had time to give one, since the angel chose that moment to catch him again. He was fortunate in that he was in a much better position this time. The way the angel had him made it much easier to find purchase and leverage against its powerful jaw. He strained, pushing with his arms and legs. The mouth didn't budge. He pushed harder. _I'm going to give myself a hernia or something_, some asshole corner of his mind thought sardonically.

"Shinji, the battleships are on their way to you. You have to get that mouth open."

He screamed with exertion, "I'm trying." It was useless. He wasn't strong enough to force the angel's mouth open.

"Three seconds to impact. Come on, I know you can do it, Shinji."

The sounds coming from Shinji were pure, animalistic ferocity. Every fiber of his being was devoted to prying the monster's mouth open. It was futile. He felt, rather than saw or heard, the battleships slam into the angel's bared teeth on either side of him. They opened fire with their forward cannons and self destructed.

Over the explosive din of the battleships' death throes, he vaguely heard Misato shout something, but he couldn't make it out. His mind suddenly became occupied with other things soon after. Something, probably the sudden fierceness of the attack had caused the angel's to open, ever so slightly. When the ships self destructed, it became enough, however, that the Eva was thrown into its mouth.

Shinji groaned as he tried to get his bearings. A red light came on and a countdown window appeared. The cable had been severed. "Shit," he said to nobody in particular. "Misato, I've lost my cable." When the woman didn't answer, he glanced at the display that showed the radio's status. No signal. Great. "Guess I'm on my own." A quick glance at the still unconscious Asuka confirmed this.

The Eva was on its stomach, so Shinji forced it to roll over. The angel's tongue was squishy and unpleasant. He tried to see if there was any conceivable way out of this predicament. It was dark, the only illumination being Unit-02's running lights. Nothing jumped out at him as a solution.

Desperation growing, he managed to turn the Eva to look toward the angel's back end. Nothing. Wait. At the back of its throat, where a person's uvula would be. A red orb. He could see the angel's core. Shinji took a deep breath and started dragging himself toward the core. When he was within arms' reach, he grabbed the orb with both hands and started squeezing. The angel jerked, surprised at the sudden attack from within.

Shinji put all of his strength into crushing the orb, and slowly, cracks began to appear. The angel's movements were growing increasingly erratic. He spared a glance at the timer to his left. Ninety seconds until the Eva shut down. The cracks deepened and the core collapsed in on itself.

For one horrifying second, nothing happened. Then it seemed like everything happened at once. The angel exploded, propelling Unit-02 upward. It broke the surface, narrowly missing the hull of the _Over the Rainbow_. It flew upward several stories before it started coming back down. He didn't land on the supercarrier's flight deck, but did manage to grab the edge. The ship listed dangerously, but managed to stay afloat.

Unit-02 clambered aboard the massive ship and knelt down. Shinji entered the command for the entry plug to withdraw. He felt the plug pop halfway out of the Eva's back as the LCL began to drain. He knew the outside of an entry plug would be unbearably hot right now, but the LCL served as an excellent insulator for the inside. Forcing the door open, he picked up Asuka and slowly made his way down Unit-02's back.

As soon as he set foot on the flight deck, he was swarmed. Medics took Asuka away on a stretcher. Shinji found himself pulled into a tight hug from Misato while Toji and Kensuke cheered a few feet away. He had done it. He'd beaten the angel. Shinji suddenly very much wanted to lie down.

#

* * *

#

In the deepest bowels of NERV headquarters in Tokyo-3, there was an office. An absurdly spacious office that held only one desk and the chair that the owner of the office sat upon. The floor and ceiling were decorated with an elaborate etching of a tree, but other than that, the room was completely unadorned.

Gendo Ikari sat at his desk, hands clasped in front of his face in what he knew some of the more flippant NERV employees called the "Gendo Pose." He sat patiently, waiting for Ryoji Kaji to arrive in his office. The report he had just received would normally have been cause for a rare smile from the enigmatic commander of NERV. The sixth angel was dead and Kaji was minutes away with a vital part of his plans.

Something had distracted the man from his silent gloating, however. It wasn't the fact that the Second Child was unconscious in the hospital for no discernible reason, though that was troubling. No, it was a light. A small red LED that sat flush with the surface of his desk. He had had it installed over a year earlier, but never imagined that he would actually see it glowing. "Fuyutsuki."

"Yes, Commander?" Kozo Fuyutsuki stepped out of the shadows behind the commander. The Vice Commander of NERV looked at his superior expectantly.

"The light is on."

Fuyutsuki's brow furrowed, "The…" He trailed off for a moment, gaze drifting over the commander's desk. His eyes widened in recognition. "I see. Someone has used the machine."

Ikari nodded. "Correct."

"What would you like me to do?" Fuyutsuki's back straightened as he tensed.

Ikari's voice was cold as he replied, "Follow the scenario. We have prepared for this. Find out who used it. When we have identified the suspect, we will take the appropriate action."

"Yes, sir. With your permission, Commander, I'll get the investigation started."

"Do it quietly, Fuyutsuki. We don't want to scare him off."

"Of course, sir." The Vice Commander walked across the office and left Ikari to his thoughts.

"Fascinating," he muttered as he turned his attention back to the imminent meeting with Kaji.

* * *

A/N: WA-BAM! Chapter one down. I'm fairly happy with how this turned out. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave a comment and let me know. What did you guys think? Do you want more? I'm not sure when exactly I'll get the next chapter done, because I'm getting busy with going back to school, but it shouldn't be more than a week or two if I had to guess.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of _NGE: Mitigation_. I know I enjoyed writing it. Until next time, I love you all.


	2. Aberration

A/N: Hello, everyone. I'm back with the next installment of _Mitigation_, a few days later than I had hoped. The first chapter seemed fairly well received, which was pretty gratifying to my ego, I must admit. I want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Anyway, you aren't here to listen to me ramble, so let's get this show on the road.

Disclaimer: Alas, my plans to obtain the rights to _NGE_ are, at this point, still unfulfilled. I am assembling a team to rectify this immediately.

* * *

**_Neon Genesis Evangelion: Mitigation_**

Chapter 2: Aberration

* * *

The room was not silent – there was too much machinery making noise for that – but it was certainly quiet. Sunlight filtered in through the partially opened curtains on one side of the room, leaving a brightly illuminated strip across the floor and over the middle of the bed. The warm line of sunlight did little to diminish the cold, sterile nature of the room.

On the bed lay the unconscious form of Asuka Langley Sohryu. Her red hair fanned out over the pillow as a bank of monitors kept track of her vitals. As far as the doctors could tell, there was nothing medically wrong with the Second Child, she simply wouldn't wake up.

Seated in an overstuffed, but still somehow wildly uncomfortable, armchair next to the bed, Shinji Ikari had dozed off. His clothes were rumpled, as if they had been slept in more than once. He was leaning to one side, head supported by one arm.

A noise, distinct from the steady beeping of the monitors, brought him out of his light sleep. He looked at the bed. Asuka was still asleep. Maybe he was mistaken…no there it was again. Asuka made a noise, something akin to a whimper, and shifted minutely in the bed. She opened her eyes slowly, wincing against the harsh glow of the fluorescent lights in the ceiling.

"Where am I?" she muttered, more to herself than anything.

Shinji shifted in his seat, "You're in the NERV hospital."

Asuka sat up and turned to look at the boy, eyes wide, "What happened?"

His brow furrowed, "What do you remember?"

"Just tell me what happened," she slumped forward and held her head in her hands.

The Third Child shrank into his seat a little. "We got into Unit-02 after the angel attacked the fleet. When we fell into the ocean, you had some sort of seizure and passed out."

The girl sighed heavily, but didn't say anything. After a second, her head lifted from her hands, "If I lost consciousness during the fight, why aren't we all dead?"

Shinji was making a pretty good go at melting into in his seat, "Well…I piloted Unit-02 and killed the angel."

"WHAT?" The shrill exclamation made Shinji wince. "You piloted _my_ Unit-02?"

His mouth fell open, "B-but if I didn't, we all would have died."

Asuka tried to move, probably to strike him, but found that she was unable thanks to the tangle of wires connecting her to the monitors. She settled for letting out a scream of frustration.

"It's okay," Shinji offered. "I was so terrified during my first battle that I blacked out."

Bad move. The redhead's eyes widened. "You think I was scared?" The volume of her voice started to rise with every word. "I was not scared, Third. I've been training to fight angels my entire life."

In that moment, Shinji was thankful that looks could not, in fact, kill. If they could, the one Asuka was giving him would have caused him to burst into flames, then be crushed under a pile of rocks, which would then burst into flame themselves. "I'm sorry. I…I didn't mean to offend you."

She gave out another frustrated yell, then fell silent for a moment. "What are you even doing here, Third?" Her voice was quieter; barely more than a whisper, but Shinji could still hear the anger in it.

His shoes suddenly became unbelievably fascinating. "Waiting for you to wake up."

She made a noise of derision, "Yeah, right. You probably just wanted to do something perverted while I was unconscious. That seems like the type of thing you'd do."

Shinji's eyes widened as his face turned an impressive shade of red, "No, of…of course not. I wouldn't do something like that."

Asuka rolled her eyes, "Uh-huh. Then I'll ask again. What are you doing here?"

He looked up at the girl in front of him, then back down at his feet. "I just…I wanted to make sure you weren't alone when you woke up."

She looked down thoughtfully for a moment. When she spoke next, her voice was noticeably absent of anger, "How long was I out?"

"Almost three days."

"And how long have you been here?"

Shinji's right hand clenched and relaxed unconsciously. "Almost three days."

The two fell silent after that, Asuka staring at Shinji and Shinji diligently studying his shoes. The monitors continued their beeping, blissfully unaware of the goings-on in the room.

When Asuka spoke again, a good thirty or forty seconds later, the edge had returned to her voice, "What are you waiting for, baka? Go get a doctor."

Shinji bolted out of the chair and headed toward the door. "Right. Sorry."

As he opened the door, Asuka growled, "And stop apologizing for everything."

He heard her start swearing in German as he shut the door and went in search of a doctor.

#

* * *

#

Kozo Fuyutsuki surveyed the room intently, his back ramrod straight in keeping with his stiffly proper military demeanor. The room was bustling with activity as a dozen men and women flitted about, checking computer stations, calling out readings, and looking toward the safety glass that made up the entire far wall. On the other side of the glass was a large room, mostly taken up by a huge, elaborate machine, centered on a chair. A couple more people moved around the machine, inspecting its components.

Fuyutsuki studied the man standing at attention in front of him. "I understand you've finally completed your initial investigation."

The man nodded, "Yes, Vice Commander, we have." He handed the older man a folder. "I'm afraid you won't like the results."

"I never expected that I would." Fuyutsuki offered a weary smile, really more of a quirk of the corner of his mouth. As soon as he opened the folder and skimmed the first page, the smile faded. "Walk me through what I'm reading, Major. As much as I'll be dealing with it in the foreseeable future, I'm not terribly familiar with many of the finer points of Project Mitigation."

"Yes, sir." He led the Vice Commander over to an open computer and typed in a series of commands. "When we received the activation alert, we started on the process of determining who was responsible."

Fuyutsuki nodded, "And what does that entail?"

The major rubbed his jaw as he called up a list of diagnostic test results on the computer. All of the items were red. "There are a few tests we run. We start by identifying the NERV user ID that authorized the activation."

Fuyutsuki cocked his head curiously.

"It was the Commander's ID," the major continued, "but during his preliminary briefing on the situation, I confirmed that he hadn't used it. So we moved on to the rest of the tests: DNA analysis, brain wave recognition and a handful of others."

"And none of them were conclusive?"

"None of them were completed. The machine gathers the data for them throughout the operation cycle, but the results aren't compiled and transmitted until after the cycle completes. For some reason the results never made it back to our computers."

Fuyutsuki frowned, "They're done sequentially? Why not simultaneously?"

"Power and memory considerations. During the design phase, we decided that it was better to err on the side of caution where the life of the user is concerned. Waiting a few extra minutes for the analyses seemed like a fair trade off."

Fuyutsuki nodded, "So whoever it was managed to cover their tracks extremely well."

"Yes, sir. They were either intimately familiar with the system or impossibly lucky. It wouldn't be easy to abort all the tests before they could be completed."

The Vice Commander of NERV crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Did you manage to get anything useful?"

The major nodded as he pressed entered another command. "We did, sir. This is the point of origin for the activation," he pointed to a line of text that appeared under the list of tests.

Fuyutsuki's eyebrows inched upwards. "Do you have anything else to share with me, Major?"

The younger man shook his head, "No, sir. That's it. The full report is in that folder."

"I need to report to the Commander." As he turned to leave, he glanced at the major one last time, "Keep up the good work here."

#

* * *

#

"So they have nothing actionable?" Gendo Ikari's glasses flashed dangerously as his Vice Commander finished his report.

Fuyutsuki shook his head. "No, sir. The only mildly significant information recovered was the point of origin. They are still working on retrieving some data, but they aren't very hopeful."

Ikari folded his hands in front of his face. "Very well. We'll have to keep an eye out; wait for whoever it was to make a mistake."

"I agree. Will we be alerting the committee?"

Behind his hands, Ikari smirked, "I see no reason to burden the old men with this. I think it is best if they remain unaware of Project Mitigation."

Fuyutsuki remained silent. He had known Ikari long enough to recognize when the man was simply thinking out loud.

"We will need to start keeping closer track of aberrations in the scenario. We must identify any patterns as soon as possible." Ikari regarded the elderly man for a moment, "If there's nothing else, you are dismissed."

"Thank you, Commander. I'll keep you apprised of any developments."

#

* * *

#

"Guten morgen, Shinji."

The voice calling from behind made Shinji stop in his tracks as he blinked in surprise. Usually the only ones to talk to him during school were Kensuke, Toji, and, occasionally, Hikari. The feminine voice calling him in German wasn't Hikari's, and it certainly didn't belong to Toji or Kensuke.

Sure enough, as he haltingly turned to respond, he found Asuka standing before him with her arms crossed expectantly. "G-Guten morgen, Asuka." _I don't know German. That's got to mean "good morning," right? I didn't just insult her, did I?_ Shinji braced himself for the slap that he was suddenly sure would be coming. _Quick, change the subject._ "I guess they finally let you out of the hospital. That's good."

Asuka raised an eyebrow, appearing vaguely amused. "About time, too. I was about to walk out on my own if they didn't."

"So they figured out what happened?" Shinji was certain that he was about to be hit for his insolence.

She rolled her eyes, "Hmph. Nein, they had no idea. They said it was probably a 'non-recurring medical phenomenon' brought on by stress. Idiots." She paused thoughtfully, "At least they cleared me to pilot."

"Well it's, uh, good to see you up and about."

The girl's eyes narrowed, "Of course it is, baka. It's always good to see the great Asuka Langley Sohryu." She paused for a moment, "Oh, by the way…"

Shinji found himself flat on his back as the air left his lungs in a rush. He gasped ineffectually, trying frantically to draw in precious oxygen. If he had had any air left in his lungs at that point, the foot that stomped on his stomach would have driven it out.

Asuka towered over him, "If you so much as touch my Unit-02 again, they will never find your body. Got that, Third Child?"

He nodded, his breathing slowly returning to normal.

"Good." She looked around, "Now where's the First Child?"

"Ayanami?" Shinji struggled back to his feet, wincing as he grabbed his stomach, and looked around too. "She's over there," he finally said, gesturing toward a bench a few yards away.

Asuka brushed past him without another word and headed toward the pale girl.

For his part, Shinji found his gaze drawn to the German girl's behind. Until, that is, she looked over her shoulder and glared at him. Her eyes narrowed, "What do you think you're looking at, pervert?"

Shinji felt his cheeks heat up. He averted his eyes and prayed that his imminent death would be quick.

Asuka muttered something under her breath but continued her way toward the bench Rei was sitting on. Shinji breathed a sigh of relief.

He watched curiously as Asuka tried valiantly to engage Rei in conversation. She made a hell of an attempt, but the pale girl remained completely uninterested.

"Is the devil actually talking to Ayanami?"

Shinji turned his head to find that Toji and Kensuke had joined him in watching the one-sided conversation. He shrugged, "Trying to at least. I don't think it's working."

As if to reinforce his observation, Asuka threw her arms up in frustration and turned on her heel.

Shinji went to grab his friends and beat a hasty retreat, lest they find themselves caught up in Hurricane Asuka's path. Before he could begin to move though, a siren echoed through the city. Acting purely on instinct, he reached down for his cell phone, vaguely noticing Asuka and Rei doing the same.

A second later, the three pilots put their phones away and darted in the direction of the nearest NERV entrance.

#

* * *

#

Shinji sat in Unit-01's entry plug, watching the ground whiz by far below him. The Eva was secured to the underside of a massive carrier plane as it brought the war machine to its combat zone. Somewhere to one side, another carrier held Unit-02 and Asuka in the same manner.

He listened patiently as Misato explained the operation over the radio. Everything had been so hectic at NERV that the pilots hadn't even been properly briefed before they were stuffed into the entry plugs and flown out of headquarters.

"The recent battle has severely damaged Tokyo-3's intercept systems," Misato stated. "Only twenty-six percent of our defense capability has been restored. "We're going to have to intercept the target at the water's edge, right before it makes land. Units 01 and 02 will make a coordinated attack in a series of waves."

"This sucks." Shinji stifled a groan as Asuka made her displeasure apparent. "My first battle over Japan and she won't even let me handle it solo. Why do I have to bring you?"

Shinji pressed the button to open a channel to the red Evangelion. "SOP. That's just procedure. And besides, we can't be too careful after the last battle. Best to make sure that you…" he trailed off as he looked at the video feed from Unit-02's cockpit. He once again found himself grateful that looks couldn't kill. "Procedure. Just procedure."

He closed the channel just as Asuka's eye started to twitch in anger. As he did, he felt the clamps holding the Eva to the plane release. He felt adrenaline start to course through his body as the enormous machine entered freefall. He brought it in for a graceful landing, only a couple seconds behind Unit-02.

He noted the look of awe on the faces of the ground crews that immediately moved to insert a power cable into the Eva's back. He supposed that the sight of two forty meter tall robots dropping out of the sky would be pretty damn impressive.

He sighed as Asuka started complaining again. "Two against one's not what I'd call a fair fight. It's not fair."

"We don't get a choice. Survivability takes priority." Misato's tone didn't leave any room for argument. It was the voice Shinji had long since come to recognize as her Captain Voice, and it indicated beyond any doubt that she was in command of the situation. Shinji found it rather comforting in these situations.

With a sudden roar, the seventh angel burst into view. It sort of resembled a massive gorilla, in shape at least. Its skin was a dull grey, with a face that looked something like a yin-yang symbol.

As Misato ordered the beginning of the attack, Asuka's Eva darted forward. "I'll handle this angel. Cover my back, Shinji."

"What? Cover you?" Shinji stared, flabbergasted, at the back of the sprinting Eva.

There was almost a joyous laugh in the girl's voice as she responded, "Yeah, ladies first."

Shinji frowned. "Damn it," he said as he opened fire on the angel. "Don't you talk to me like that, you dumb rookie."

Asuka let out a vicious yell as she used a building to propel herself into the air at the monster. She raised her progressive spear above her head and brought it down through the angel, neatly slicing it from head to groin. The two halves slumped over.

Shinji stared at the scene in front of him, shock written all over his face. "Well I'll be damned," he whispered.

"What did you think of that? A fight should be clean and elegant, without waste." The Second Child was clearly quite pleased with herself.

Shinji found that he was unable to argue with results.

Then something unexpected happened. The two halves of the angel started moving. They twitched and shook as an unpleasant squelching noise carried through the air. The freshly sliced sides started to ripple and bulge. Suddenly there were two angels in front of them, each a smaller version of the original, one silver and one bronze.

Shinji couldn't find the words to express his thoughts on this new development, but Misato's did a pretty good job. "Now that's a load of bull."

One of the monsters, the silver one, punched at Unit-02 while the bronze one ran toward Unit-01. As soon as it was in range, Shinji delivered a powerful kick to the thing's face. It stumbled back, but immediately launched itself at the purple Eva again.

Asuka ducked the punch and countered with a leg sweep, which Silver neatly jumped. It punched again, but missed as Asuka sidestepped and delivered a punch of her own. It connected, but barely phased Silver.

Bronze delivered a quick blow to Unit-01's stomach and an uppercut that left Shinji reeling. He shook off the daze and launched a kick at Bronze's knee. The angel caught his foot and flipped him onto his back.

Asuka found herself being steadily driven back by Silver's rapid fury of blows. So focused on defense, she barely had a chance to deliver blows of her own. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a purple and green blur and Unit-01 was flipped to the ground. She growled in frustration, "Why isn't this working?"

Silver took advantage of her momentary distraction to launch a devastating haymaker to the side of her head. She would have collapsed to the ground, but the angel grabbed Unit-02's arm and started spinning around in a decent facsimile of a hammer throw. After a few spins, it released the arm and sent the Eva flying. Asuka grunted as the mecha embedded itself in the ground.

Bronze stalked over to Unit-01 as it clambered to its hands and knees, struggling to its feet. The angel kicked the robot in the stomach, rolling it onto its back. It stomped on the Eva's head and grabbed it by the legs. With a mighty heave, Bronze launched Unit-01 through the air, leaving it to form a crater with a crash.

The two monsters started walking in the direction of Tokyo-3.

#

* * *

#

Shinji Ikari was not a happy camper. He was cold, wet, and smelled like LCL. He was in pain from his recent beatdown, annoyed by Asuka's attitude in the wake of said beatdown, and embarrassed by his failure.

When the Evangelions had been recovered, he and Asuka had been whisked directly into a debriefing room, no time to change out of their plugsuits or to rinse the LCL off. In the briefing room, they were subjected to a play-by-play of the defeat they had just suffered.

"At 11:03 a.m., NERV abandoned the operation and transferred command to the UN secondary force," First Lieutenant Maya Ibuki explained.

Vice Commander Fuyutsuki glared at the two pilots from the back of the room, "We've been completely humiliated."

Maya went on, "At 11:05 a.m., UN forces made an attack with an N2 mine. They succeeded in burning off twenty-eight percent of the targets' structural substance."

Asuka shrugged, "Well, it kind of looks dead."

Fuyutsuki leaned forward in his seat, "This is merely temporary. The second attack is just a matter of time."

Kaji, placid as always, half turned to look at the Vice Commander, "Well, at least we've got time to regroup. You can't ask for more than that."

Fuyutsuki seemed less than impressed with Kaji's observation. He stood up and glared at the two teenagers. "All right, you two, just what do you think your job is?"

"Piloting Eva?" For the first time since he'd met her, Asuka sounded truly uncertain.

"Wrong," Fuyutsuki shouted. "It's to beat the angels. NERV does not exist to make grotesque public spectacles like this. Therefore the two of you will learn to work together."

Shinji and Asuka glared at each other. "Why should we," they shouted in unison.

"Enough." Fuyutsuki sighed. He pressed a button on the arm of his chair and was lowered through the floor and out of sight.

#

* * *

#

Shinji sighed as he stepped into the apartment he shared with Misato, glad to be able to finally sit down and relax for a few hours. "I'm home," he called softly as he slipped off his shoes and headed to his room. "Not that anyone's here, of course."

He looked curiously at a stack of boxes against the wall, but shrugged them off. Misato must have bought some stuff. He slid open his door and nearly dropped his bag in shock. "What? What is this stuff?" His room was filled, practically floor to ceiling, with boxes and luggage.

"Don't be so rude," a voice scolded him from the hallway. "These are my personal belongings."

Shinji whipped around to face the speaker. "Y-you? But…what…what in the blazes are you doing in my house?"

Asuka regarded him imperiously as she sipped from a can of soda. "Why are you still here?"

Shinji was floored. "St-still here?"

The redhead cocked her head to one side, "Hmm. Yeah. You've been dumped for the new model." She moved closer to Shinji, a smug smirk firmly in place, "Misato will be living with me. Of course, that's a much more logical choice when you consider my superior abilities."

She kept ranting about…something. Shinji honestly was not hearing anything the girl said. His mind was still struggling to keep up with this new development. He gasped when he spotted a small box with his stuff haphazardly thrown in. He went to make sure nothing was broken as Asuka kept talking. Something about locks on the doors.

He jumped when someone other than Asuka spoke.

"The Japanese way is to consider the needs of others before one's own," Misato had evidently returned and entered the apartment without alerting either of the teenagers to her presence. She grinned at the two of them, "How's it going? You two are going to get along just fine."

"What?" Shinji and Asuka cried simultaneously.

Misato's grin widened, "This is part of your new training."

"Say what?" Still in unison.

Five minutes later, Shinji found himself seated at the dinner table next to Asuka while Misato explained the plan to destroy the seventh angel. NERV's best guess was that the two halves needed to be eliminated simultaneously to successfully kill it. Something on that scale would require extraordinary levels of coordination.

"To that end," the raven-haired woman continued, "I want the two of you to live together from now on."

Shinji resigned himself to his fate, but Asuka protested. Misato shut her down though, and explained the training regimen they were being placed on. By setting the attack to music, they hoped it would allow the two pilots to memorize and execute it with perfect timing. Misato placed the music tape on the table and crossed her arms, "We begin now and we attack in six days."

#

* * *

#

Three days later, the training was well underway. That was really all that could be said about it in Shinji's humble opinion. He and Asuka still had not mastered the dance/battle choreography. They had made improvements, but still could only get about halfway through before the alarms sounded, indicating a failure. He could tell that Asuka was beyond frustrated. He could relate, even if he didn't show it as readily as his fiery roommate.

At least they didn't have to go to school during the synch training. He didn't think he would be able to take the mocking his friends would dish out if they could see the outfit he was being forced to wear. The tights and the black tank top were bad enough, and the loose fitting, wide-collared shirt only made it worse. Asuka wore the same thing, but with a pink shirt instead of Shinji's blue.

They were in the middle of the dance routine, having made it further than they ever had before. Small smiles were beginning to form on the pilots' lips when the chime of the doorbell broke their concentration. Shinji slipped, giving the buzzer a chance to signal a failure. Asuka growled as the two looked over at the door. "Coming," they droned in unison.

The door slid open, revealing probably the three people Shinji least wanted to see at the moment. Toji and Kensuke looked horrified while Hikari stared at them in eye-twitching lividity. Some corner of Shinji's mind wondered it lividity was a word, but decided this was neither the time nor the place for such thoughts.

Toji and Kensuke adopted matching poses, arms crossed over their faces. "You-you've betrayed us," Toji stuttered.

"You're dressing alike again, too. I-I can't believe this," Kensuke added.

"Neither can we," Shinsuka (as Misato had taken to calling the pilots during their particularly in-synch moments) replied. "It's all Misato's fault. We have to eat, breathe and sleep together."

That set off the class rep, "You're living in sin. That's awful."

Shinji's eyes widened while Asuka's narrowed. "No, it's not like that."

Hikari buried her face in her hands and started shaking her head. "Then just what is it like?"

Before Shinsuka could answer, Misato's voice cut in from down the hall. "Hi, everybody."

As one, the entire group turned to face Misato, somewhat shocked to find her standing with Rei. Misato smiled at them while Rei simply watched dispassionately.

Toji gestured over his shoulder at Shinji and Asuka, "Um, would you like to explain all of this to us?"

It took a few minutes for Misato to bring the three up to speed on their friends' situation, during which time Shinji and Asuka trudged over to continue their training. The practice mats were, according to Asuka, the love child of a _Dance Dance Revolution_ system and a Twister board, if said child had been raised some kind of psychological torture device. They took their starting places on the mats as music began to play through their headphones. They started the dance.

Seated at the table, everyone was having a good laugh at the misunderstanding. "Gee, Shinji," Toji laughed, "You should have told us about that part first."

"So how are their synchronization drill coming along, Miss Misato?" asked Hikari as she smiled down at the contented warm-water penguin seated in her lap.

Misato watched the dancing teens thoughtfully for a moment before answering. "It could be worse, I suppose. I had hoped that they would be able to finish the routine by this point, but they're getting most of the way through it now."

As if to illustrate her point, Shinji felt himself falling behind in the routine. Rushing to keep up with her, he quickly lost his footing and face-planted into the mat. He groaned. They had made it about three quarters of the way through the dance that time.

Asuka shouted as she hurled her headphones across the room. "This is so stupid. Shouldn't this be working by now? You should at least be able to keep up with me, baka."

Misato looked smug. "Are you giving up?"

Asuka crossed her arms and looked away huffily, "As if."

"Still," Misato answered thoughtfully, "I want to try something. Rei?"

"Yes?" The pale girl sat next to Misato, serene as ever.

"Why don't you try?"

She pushed herself off the floor, "Yes, ma'am." She picked up the headphones Asuka had thrown and took her place on the mat next to Shinji.

Asuka watched as Rei and Shinji began the routine, a smugly confident expression on her face. That expression quickly faded as the two powered their way through the dance flawlessly. They were halfway through now, and the timer showed that they were rapidly approaching the record Shinji and Asuka had just set.

"Well," Misato muttered, "looks like I should alter the operation to pair Shinji and Rei."

Asuka's face turned red as she swore, "Scheiße. I can't take this anymore." She spun on her heel and ran out of the apartment.

Shinji stumbled as he watched Asuka run out, setting off the buzzer.

Hikari shot to her feet, "Wait, Asuka." The class rep glared at Shinji, "Shinji, go apologize!"

The boy slipped his headphones off, "Huh?"

"You made her cry, you jerk. Go find her and tell her you're sorry."

Shinji found her in a convenience store two blocks away from the apartment. She was crouched in front of a refrigerator, studying the drink selection on display. He walked up to her and just stood there. "Um…"

Asuka didn't turn to face him. "Don't say anything, Third."

Shinji just crouched down next to her.

"I know. I have to pilot the Eva." She snatched a drink off the shelf and shut the door. "I'll do it."

She stalked through the rest of the store, grabbing a few bags of snacks and a couple sandwiches. Shinji followed her silently. At the checkout counter, she watched Shinji expectantly as the clerk began ringing them up. Shoulders slumping slightly, he pulled out his wallet and paid for the food.

She stormed out of the store leaving Shinji to grab the bags and catch up with her. She finally stopped at a bench another block down the street. It was on a hill that afforded a decent view of downtown Tokyo-3.

Asuka stood on the bench, soda in one hand and a half eaten sandwich in the other. "No matter what, I'll put Rei and Misato to shame."

Shinji, seated next to her, looked up and admired the way the setting sun illuminated her face and reflected off of her hair. "Still, you don't have to squash them."

She took a gulp of soda and looked down at him, "You're being too simplistic. I must avenge my pride. It's a matter of honor now." Dropping the empty soda can into the bag from the store; she hopped off the bench and leaned against the railing, gazing at the city.

Shinji placed his drink down and tentatively stood up, leaning against the rail next to her. He watched her curiously.

She tore her gaze from the city and stared down to the bottom of the steep hill. "It's just not fair, you know?"

Shinji didn't know, but thought it best to keep silent.

"After all this time, we still can't get through that stupid dance, but Wondergirl jumps in and instantly does better than me."

Shinji wasn't sure how to react to this kind of behavior from Asuka. He gave it a try, "We still have three days. I'm sure we'll get it in time."

She looked at Shinji, something unusual in her eyes. She actually looked…vulnerable at that moment. "I hope so."

"We will."

A ghost of a smile played at her lips before she turned to watch the city again. They fell into a comfortable silence for a moment. Eventually, she spoke again, "It really looks beautiful from up here, doesn't it?"

Shinji turned to look at her as he nodded, "Yeah."

They lapsed into another silence, this one a little less comfortable than the last. Neither of them looked away from the other. Neither pilot moved at all, in fact. Finally, Asuka turned and started walking back toward the apartment. "Baka," her voice was soft and lacked most of the venom it usually carried with the word.

Shinji blinked in surprise as he followed her. "What did I do?"

#

* * *

#

The second half of the training period proved exponentially more effective than the first. The pair's score on the dance mats rose steadily, until they were finishing with perfect scores every time. Even off the mats, their synchronization was readily apparent to even the most casual observer. They ate in unison. They brushed their teeth in unison. They even listened to music in unison. Misato was impressed with their progress, to say the least.

On the final evening before the battle, Asuka stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her body and another drying off her hair. "Where's Misato?" she asked as she began to change

Shinji, lounging in the living room, reading a manga with his headphones on, called back, "At work. She called earlier. She'll be there all night."

"So," Asuka smirked, "that means we're all alone tonight, huh?" Humming to herself, she picked her sheets and pillows up off the floor and carried them into Misato's room. She pulled the door shut with her foot, leaving Shinji to stare after her in confusion. A few seconds later, the door opened again, revealing Asuka on her hands and knees glaring at the boy.

Shinji tried not to stare at her breasts down the front of the loose-fitting shirt.

"This is the impenetrable Wall of Jericho, Third Child. Take one step over this wall and you're dead." She slammed the door shut again, leaving Shinji even more confused than before.

Hours later, Shinji lay in the dark, unable to fall asleep. He turned on his SDAT to listen to music, but even that failed to lull him to sleep. He heard Asuka's door open and quickly dropped his head to the pillow and pretended to be asleep. He heard her walk into the bathroom and a moment later he heard the toilet flush.

Still pretending to be asleep, he heard Asuka walk back into the living room. Instead of going back into the bedroom, however, he heard he footsteps move closer to him then stop. He slowly opened his eyes, shocked to find her lying not a foot away from him.

He took in the sight before him as he felt his face heat up. Her shirt hung low on her shoulders, revealing a more than generous amount of cleavage. It was her face that drew and held Shinji's attention though. The way the moonlight shined on her, softly lighting her features, made her look like an angel, a proper angel, not the abominations that had appropriated the word. In that moment, Asuka Langley Sohryu was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

She whimpered in her sleep, her lips parting slightly. He stared at them, feeling his pulse rising, his heart pounding out a rapid drumbeat in his chest. He started to lean closer to her, haltingly, unsure of himself. She would kill him if she ever found out about this. When their faces were barely an inch apart, he stopped, watching her.

He was about to give up and back away when she whimpered in her sleep. "Shin…ji?" She began to shake slightly.

Shinji stared. This was beyond unexpected. He slowly drew in a deep breath, which he let out through his nose, just as slowly. He gently touched his lips to hers, just for a second. By any standard, it was hardly a peck, over practically before it began, but Shinji felt himself blush profusely. "I'm right here, Asuka," he whispered, so quietly that he barely heard himself.

To his surprise, the girl stopped shaking, smiling ever so slightly. She snuggled closer to the boy and buried her face in his chest.

Shinji stayed completely stationary. He didn't dare move, didn't even want to breathe, lest he wake the girl and break the moment. With painstaking slowness, he placed an arm around her, certain that he was pushing his luck too far.

Rather than wake up, Asuka sighed gently and snuggled closer.

Shinji let out a shuddering breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He closed his eyes and let himself drift to sleep, resolved to deal with the consequences of this in the morning.

#

* * *

#

As it turned out, Shinji didn't have to worry about the consequences. He woke up the next morning to Misato gently shaking him. "Shinji, it's time. Where's Asuka?"

Shinji sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked past the kneeling woman and around the room. That was a good question. Had she gone back into the bedroom at some point? Her pillow was still out here, so probably not.

The sound of a flushing toilet answered the question for him as Asuka stepped out of the bathroom. Shinji watched her moving about. Her face betrayed nothing of what she was thinking. She noticed him looking at her, "Something wrong, Third?"

"I, uh, n-no, of course not."

Misato stood up, "Right. Shinji, get moving. We leave in five minutes."

#

* * *

#

Seated inside Unit-01, Shinji took a deep breath and stretched as best he could in the cockpit's seat. The Eva was rushing toward the surface, the battery timer counting down from seventy seconds. A video channel was open to Asuka, the window sitting at the edge of his vision. He studied her out of the corner of his eye. Her face was set in a determined expression, staring ahead, waiting to get started.

The Evas launched out of the catapults and into the air. As they twisted through the air, Shinji noted that the angel had indeed reformed into one creature as he had been informed. The giant grey beast watched the two machines.

As one, the Evas drew their progressive spears and hurled them at the monster. It deflected one, but the other neatly bisected it, once again revealing the two smaller copies. Officially, they were designated Alpha and Beta, but to Shinji they were still Silver and Bronze.

Shinji and Asuka touched down simultaneously and grabbed the Eva-sized assault rifles that popped out of the ground. They strafed around the monsters in opposite directions, firing on them as they moved. When they met up on the other side, Silver and Bronze turned to them and returned fire.

Side by side, they Evas back flipped away from the blasts, dodging each one until they landed on a huge pressure plate in the ground. A blast shield popped up, providing them with cover.

They leaned out and fired on the angel, moving out of the way as the copies leapt at them, slicing the blast shield to shreds.

Missile emplacements all over the city opened up on the angel, providing Units 01 and 02 with covering fire. Two simultaneous uppercuts, followed by vicious roundhouse kicks knocked Silver and Bronze backwards and into each other, forcing them to merge.

The Evas launched into the air and drove at the freshly merged angel, two massive boots smashing into the double core of the still-stunned angel. The angel and the Evas slid backwards, slamming into a mountain. Their feet pressed down on the core, sinking in and cracking the red orbs. The angel flashed and exploded, enveloping the mountain and the Evas in a massive fireball.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed Units 01 and 02 lying in a heap at the bottom of a crater.

#

* * *

#

Gendo Ikari sat in a comfortable seat on his private jet. He intently studied the computer screen in front of him, reading the report on the latest battle that Fuyutsuki had forwarded him. The seventh angel had been eliminated with only minimal damage to Tokyo-3 and almost none to Units 01 and 02.

He pressed his lips into a thin line. He was pleased that Katsuragi's plan had worked. It made up for the dismal failure of the first attack on the angel. Disappointed as he had found that failure, it did not surprise him. Such things were almost a given when dealing with such psychologically damaged children. This lapse would hopefully be the only such one, though he had a number of plans in place in the event that more occurred.

Satisfied that the matter had been dealt with in an efficient and appropriate manner, he closed Fuyutsuki's email. There was another from the director of Section 2. He looked at it curiously. The next report on the pilots' activities was not due for another three days. He opened the message and began to read.

_Commander,_

_I am certain that you have been informed of the successful defeat of the latest angel, so I will not waste your time with information about it. This instead concerns the instructions you left with my office before your departure last week. As instructed, I have had my most trusted men on the lookout for anything suspicious. Early this morning, I was given this video file. Based on my familiarity with the subject's psych profile, it seemed to meet the criteria you laid out to me. I will continue watching for further aberrations, as you called them._

Losing interest and having gotten the gist of the message, Ikari stopped reading and opened the video file that was attached.

The window that popped up showed a dark room, lit by a night vision camera. On the floor, he could identify his son, staring at the display on his SDAT player. A sound from off camera made him drop his head to the pillow and close his eyes. A minute later, the Second Child appeared walked into the shot and lay down next to him. Shinji watched her, eyes glowing in the night vision, before he leaned in toward the Second. He hesitated, then kissed her, whispering something to her.

In response, she moved in and pressed herself against him. Shinji froze for a moment and wrapped an arm around the girl.

As the video ended, Ikari watched the final frame contemplatively. He studied the image before him, the unexpected sight of his son holding Asuka Sohryu against him as the pair slept. Only one word came to mind that could summarize what he had just watched.

"Curious."

* * *

A/N: And so continues my slowly widening deviation from the established canon. I hope you all liked it. I feel pretty good about it. It's funny. I had a few things I wanted to say down here, but, having spent the last three and a half hours finishing up this chapter, I can't think of what they were.

So instead, I'll just take this opportunity to do something I plan to make a regular feature at the end of each chapter. Review Acknowledgements. You took the time to write them, I'll take the time to respond to at least a few of them…

(In order of submission):

**driftking18594**: Thanks for being my first review ever. Glad you enjoyed it. I proofread this one more carefully, trying to avoid any more unfortunate typos like the one you pointed out.

**Toriano Flacko**: Yours actually made me laugh out loud. That reaction is something that, as a writer, I always hope for, but never dare to dream of getting. Between you and me (and everyone else here), I write the chapters with the relevant episode on. It really helps to capture the feel of the source material, but I'm glad I managed to relay my vision for it effectively. Hope this installment keeps that up.

**Jack Daniels**: Don't worry. The scenario shall continue unabated.

**Donderkind**: Just thank you. _Propinquity _is one of the few NGE fics I've read, and I absolutely loved it. Your praise means a lot. If I'm lucky, this one will manage to keep your interest just as well.

**KnightLance12**: You can't just leave me hanging like that. Your review cut off in the middle of a sentence. "On a side note"…what? The suspense has been killing me.


	3. Separation

A/N: Here we go. I'm excited to present the third installment of _Mitigation_. Things are really starting to look different from what we know. Hope it lives up to the standard I've tried to set with the first two chapters.

Disclaimer: I think I'm done assembling the team that will help me obtain the rights to _Evangelion_. There are ten of us, so that should be enough. What? You think we need one more? You think we need one more. Okay, we'll find one more.

* * *

**_Neon Genesis Evangelion: Mitigation_**

Chapter 3: Separation

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me. Shinji, back me up here."

Shinji bit back a sigh at the sound of his volatile roommate's shout. "I don't think it's really that surprising," he said without even turning away from the stove. He could feel Asuka's gaze burning a hole in his back.

"Well I'm sorry we all can't be as brilliant as you, Third." The annoyance in her voice was clear as day. "But you're right. It was stupid of me to think we've earned a couple days to relax. It's not like we've been fighting demons to protect the human race. Oh, wait…"

"That's enough, Asuka." Misato sat at the table, pinching the bridge of her nose. "We have no way of predicting when the next angel will appear. We can't take the chance of our pilots being that far away from NERV in the event of an attack."

Asuka crossed her arms over her chest and dropped herself into a seat at the table. "I was going to go shopping for a new bathing suit with Kaji today."

Misato sighed, "I wish I could let you guys go. More than anything. But it's too risky. Please try to understand that."

Asuka stared down at the dish Shinji had just placed in front of her, "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"You guys can always use the pool at NERV," Misato offered. "It's heated and hardly anyone uses it. You'd probably have it to yourselves."

Asuka grinned, "I'll still need a bathing suit then. I can still go to the mall with Kaji."

"Oh, I doubt he'll want to go once I warn him what you have planned." There was a mischievous glint in the woman's eye.

Asuka's jaw dropped a little, "Why would you do something like that?"

"It's an adult thing," Misato answered with a grin and a shrug. "I wouldn't expect you to understand." She took a swig of beer.

The Second Child snorted, "You probably just want to keep him all to yourself."

Misato choked on her beer as her face flushed red. "What? As if."

Asuka rolled her eyes, but otherwise didn't respond. She looked at Shinji, who quietly ate his lunch, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. "Oh, Shinji," she sing-songed in the most sickeningly sweet voice she could muster.

Shinji, who had literally just been marveling at his luck in staying out of this conversation for this long, uttered a silent swear. He looked up from his lunch, "Ye-yes, Asuka?"

"You'll go to the mall with me, won't you?" God help him, she was actually pouting.

"Uh…why?"

Only Asuka could find a way to pout aggressively. "You wouldn't leave a poor, defenseless girl to try on revealing clothes without an escort, would you? Where's your sense of chivalry?"

Shinji felt himself turn red at the idea of Asuka in revealing outfits. "You-you're hardly a defenseless girl."

Asuka remained unmoved. She just kept looking at him with those big blue eyes.

Shinji felt his small reserve of resolve rapidly evaporating. "But I guess I can go, if you really want me to."

Instantly, Asuka's pout disappeared and was replaced with a self-satisfied smirk. "Good. There may be hope for you yet, baka." She stood up and went into her room, shutting the door behind her.

Shinji stood up and started clearing the table, pretending not to notice the smirk on Misato's face.

Shinji washed the dishes as quickly as he could. This would be painful enough without annoying Asuka by making her wait. After placing the last dish in the drying rack, he walked back into the living room. Misato, now lounging on the sofa, was still watching him with that damned smirk firmly entrenched on her face. Shinji sat down to wait for Asuka to emerge from her room.

"So, Shinji," Misato said in another of the special voices Shinji had long ago learned to recognize. The Teasing Voice was one he knew all too well. "Going to help Asuka pick out a bikini? I'll bet you're looking forward to that."

Shinji's face was a shade of red that would impress Unit-02's paint job with its sheer redness. If a paint job were capable of being impressed, of course. _Why do I always think of such weird things in these situations?_ "N-no, it's not like that. It was just easier than saying no."

Misato sipped her Yebisu, "Aww, do you have trouble saying no to a pretty face, Shinji? That's so cute."

Shinji gaped, his face burning. He had literally never been so relieved to hear Asuka's door open. He stood up, ready to get away from Misato's teasing. He froze halfway out of his chair when he caught sight of Asuka.

She had changed into a blue sleeveless top that stopped at her midriff and a white pair of short shorts.

Shinji's mind locked up. _System error. Movement subroutine aborted. Rebooting._ He blinked twice and finished standing up, praying that nobody noticed his…whatever the hell just happened.

The giggle Misato tried to stifle behind her beer can told him that this was too much to hope for.

Asuka brushed past him toward the door, "Let's get going, Third."

Shinji obediently followed her out the door.

When the door closed behind the two teens, Misato laughed lightly, "Well that was easier than I expected." She lifted her beer can in the air in a toast, "Good luck, Shinji." She drained the last of the precious alcohol and tossed the empty can over her shoulder. "Hey, Pen Pen."

"Wark?" The penguin waddled into the living room.

She glanced over her shoulder, "Beer me."

"Wark," the bird replied as he returned to the kitchen.

Misato sighed as she relaxed into the couch. Today was shaping up to actually be a good day.

"Wark."

She launched to her feet and shot into the kitchen. "What do you mean we're out of beer?"

#

* * *

#

Kaji half listened to the television as he wandered around his apartment. He wasn't particularly thrilled about his plans for the day. It wasn't that he disliked Asuka; on the contrary, she was a great kid. She was just…exhausting, especially if your name was Ryoji Kaji. Rejecting her constant advances was easy for him. Doing it without hurting her feelings was considerably more difficult.

The ringing of his phone disrupted his train of thought. He glanced at the clock on the wall. Probably Asuka calling to see if he would be there soon. He sighed and walked over to the phone. "Hello?"

"You owe me."

Kaji blinked in confusion, "Katsuragi?"

Misato sounded supremely pleased with herself. "You owe me," she repeated.

"I'm sure I do," he chuckled. "Why this time?" He leaned against the edge of his desk, cradling the phone against his shoulder as he fumbled for a cigarette. A light grin played at his face.

"Because of me, you don't need to go shopping with everyone's favorite German teenager today."

The unshaven man nearly dropped his lighter as he raised it to the cigarette dangling from his lips. "How's that now?" He wasn't accustomed to being on the defensive while speaking to Katsuragi.

"I convinced her to spend the day with Shinji instead."

Taking a drag from the cigarette, he considered this. "Katsuragi, are you playing matchmaker?"

"I'm just giving them the push they so clearly need."

"Not that I'm ungrateful, but what made you decide to do this today?"

"Something told me you wouldn't appreciate helping Asuka pick out a swimsuit."

Kaji's eyes widened with the realization of the bullet he had just dodged. He nodded, "That's strangely charitable of you."

"Yeah, well…now you owe me." She really seemed to be taking some sick pleasure in pointing that out.

He smiled. "So I do. Do you have dinner plans?"

For once in this conversation, Misato sounded surprised. "That's not exactly what I was thinking."

"Maybe not, but I don't see why I can't get started repaying you right away."

Silence filled the line for a good five seconds.

"Be here at eight." The click that immediately followed the words indicated that she had hung up on him.

Kaji ran a hand along his stubble. "It's a date then," he muttered as he placed the phone back on its hook. This was actually shaping up to be a pretty good day.

#

* * *

#

Shinji sat on a bench with his back against the store wall and sighed. They'd been here for an hour and a half, and that was just this store, not the three others they had already been to. Still, he decided that it wasn't so bad. Asuka was being downright pleasant, which was beyond nice. Then there was the other benefit of this trip…

"What about this one?" Asuka stepped out of the dressing room clad in yet another bathing suit.

This was the seventeenth time she had gone through this routine, and Shinji knew his part by now. He was just supposed to give it a cursory look (too much examination would get him labeled a pervert) and nod silently. He gave it the cursory look and had to fight from staring. She had looked good in the other ones, of course she had, but this one was…Shinji couldn't find the right word. He forced his gaze back up to Asuka's face. She was looking at him expectantly. "It's…I mean, you, uh, I mean, it l-looks great."

Asuka shrugged and turned to look at her reflection in the nearby mirror. She turned this way and that, looking at the red and white striped bikini from every angle. "You think so? I'm not really sure if I like this one."

Shinji just nodded.

She walked back to the dressing room, "Well I only have a few more to try on. I'll make up my mind then."

The boy immediately perked up. As much as he enjoyed being able to watch Asuka in a bathing suit without being yelled at, this was quickly becoming torturous. "Really?"

She stuck her head out of the dressing room. "Yeah. Just ten or eleven more," she grinned as she pulled her head back into the room and locked the door.

Shinji groaned and let his head bang back against the wall. This was going to be a long day.

It was almost another half hour before Asuka was finished. For Shinji, that time was marked by a growing sense of agonizing boredom interspersed with brief periods of jaw-dropping wonder. At some point, he came to the conclusion that Asuka was right. He was a pervert.

Finally, she stepped out of the dressing room in her regular clothes. Shinji breathed a sigh of relief. A broad smile on her face, she picked up the stack of new outfits she had left next to Shinji and walked over to the checkout lanes. Taking this as a cue to follow, he picked up the eight bags from the first three stores and followed, idly wondering which one she had picked.

The cashier started ringing up Asuka's selections. He gave Shinji a look that was equal measures "sucks that you got dragged here" and "you lucky bastard." Shinji just gave a minute shrug.

That was when Shinji spotted the swimsuit in the pile. Red and white stripes. _She said she didn't like that one._ _Don't bring it up. Don't bring it up. Oh, crap, she's looking at me…and now she's walking away. Wait, what's she saying?"_

"…the bags, baka," she called over her shoulder, already halfway out the door. "Hurry up."

Shinji's grabbed the bags, now eleven in total, and hurried after her. "Coming, Asuka."

When he caught up, she glanced at him. "I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat."

Shinji realized that it had to be almost six and that he was feeling a bit hungry as well. He nodded, "Okay."

Asuka ultimately settled on a small café with outdoor seating, which was just fine with Shinji. They sat quietly for a few minutes until the waitress took their order.

Asuka studied him curiously for a moment as the waitress walked away. "Why weren't you more bothered that we couldn't go to Okinawa with our class?"

Shinji nearly choked on his drink. "Wh-what?"

She folded her arms and leaned against the table, "You didn't seem bothered at all when Misato said we couldn't go."

"Oh," Shinji shrugged. "Like I said, I kind of expected it."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't be disappointed by it. You wanted to go, didn't you?"

Shinji looked down, studying the tablecloth. "Not really."

"Why not?" Asuka looked genuinely surprised.

Instead of a proper answer, Shinji just muttered something incomprehensible.

"Speak up, Third Child." Evidently, Asuka was not deterred.

"I can't swim." He braced himself for the mocking that was surely on its way.

It didn't come. Asuka just looked at him. "Oh." That was it. No laughter, no jokes, no insults. It made Shinji more than a little uneasy.

The arrival of their meals ended the line of discussion. They began talking about nothing in particular, just chatting. Shinji cherished these rare moments of absolute peace between the two of them, especially when he could make her laugh. He found her laugh, her real unguarded laugh, magical. There was nothing behind it but joy; there was no anger or fear or uncertainty, and it thrilled Shinji that he could make her experience such an emotion.

When it came time to leave, Asuka informed him that, as a chivalrous man, it would be his honor to pay for dinner. He did it without complaint. She was smiling as she asked him.

As they walked to their apartment, something occurred to Shinji. He had it bad for Asuka Langley Sohryu.

#

* * *

#

"Which one do you think?" Misato held two dresses at arm's length, one red and one black.

"Wark," Pen Pen, seated with one flipper inexplicably wrapped around a beer can, offered his advice on the matter.

Misato lifted the red one higher, studying it. "Really? You don't think it's too slutty?"

"Wark."

She nodded her understanding, "Oh, _ditch_ the red one." She looked at the black one, "I think you're right. Thanks, Pen."

"Wark." The penguin stood up and waddled out of the room.

Misato sighed. After all this time, she never thought she'd be going to all this trouble for Kaji again. Then again, on some level, it wasn't really that surprising. Misato Katsuragi had always been an all or nothing kind of woman. If she was going to do this, then damn it, she was going to do it right.

She looked at her clock as she laid the dress out on the bed. Seven-thirty. She wondered where Shinji and Asuka were. As if in answer to her question, she heard the front door open.

Walking into the living room, she smiled at the two teens. "Hey, you two. How was your date?" Now all she had to do was sit back and enjoy the show.

Shinji just flushed red and stammered.

Asuka had a much more visceral reaction. "Excuse me? This was not a date." She planted a hand on her hip and pointed at Shinji. "I would not stoop so low as to go on a date with that baka."

To his credit, Shinji made a heroic effort to not let his face fall too much. It didn't work. Misato wasn't sure she'd ever seen someone's expression go from happy to completely crushed so fast.

Asuka grabbed the shopping bags off of the floor and stormed into her room. Shinji stood motionless, staring at a spot on the floor.

"Shinji?" Misato took a step toward the boy. "Are you okay?"

He gave a halfhearted nod.

She pulled him into a hug, "You have to try to understand Asuka."

"I thought I did," he muttered as he returned the hug.

"She's had a tough life. She isn't very good at expressing her emotions, not even to herself." She broke the hug to look Shinji in the eye. "She cares for you, Shinji. Just be patient with her, okay?"

Shinji nodded, "I'll try." He offered a weak smile.

"Good boy," Misato returned the smile. She patted him on the shoulder and went back to her room. "Oh, Kaji should be here soon. Could you let him in?"

"Yes, ma'am." A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Shinji padded over to the door and opened it "Hello, Mr. Kaji."

"Shinji," the man smiled. "It's good to see you. Is Katsuragi ready?"

Shinji felt himself grin in spite of himself. The man's cheer was somewhat infectious. "She should be soon. Come in." He stepped aside and waved him inside.

"Thanks," he stepped inside, hands in his pockets.

Shinji led him into the living room, where Misato was waiting. She greeted Kaji and headed for the door. As she followed Kaji out, she looked over her shoulder, "Are you going to be okay, Shinji."

He nodded. As she started to leave again, he called out, "Misato? Thank you. For everything."

The woman smiled, "It's my pleasure, Shinji." She stepped out and shut the door.

Shinji's shoulders slumped as soon as he was alone. He cast a doleful glance at Asuka's door before retiring to his own room.

#

* * *

#

"So how did your little game of matchmaker go?" Kaji asked as he started his car. He would be driving, as always. Misato had offered, but he waved her off. It wouldn't be proper to make her drive. Besides, he swore to himself that he would never ride along with her again. Not after that time in college…

"Not as well as I had hoped," Misato sighed. She explained what had happened when the children returned from their shopping trip.

"Ouch," Kaji said as he pulled to a stop at a traffic light. He paused for a moment, "You said she didn't put up a fight when you suggested going with Shinji?"

"I didn't even need to suggest it. She got there all by herself once I ruined her plans with you." Misato watched the city begin to roll by as the light turned green and Kaji started the car moving again.

"Hmm," he murmured. "She'll come around soon enough."

"That's what I told Shinji. I don't think it helped very much."

"I don't imagine it would. That must have hurt."

The rest of the ride passed relatively quietly, at least until Kaji parked in front if one of the more upscale restaurants in Tokyo-3. Misato stared as she climbed out of the car. "How the hell did you manage to get reservations here on such short notice?"

Kaji smirked, "Come now, Katsuragi, surely you know how much you can do in this city by flashing a NERV ID card."

"I didn't realize you could do this much."

Inside, they were immediately led to a table by the window. Kaji ordered a bottle of wine. As soon as the waiter left, he leaned forward, resting his chin in his hand. "I must admit, I was surprised that you agreed to come tonight."

Misato looked out the window. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately."

"Well I'm glad," Kaji said softly as the waiter returned with the wine. He took their orders and left them alone once again.

They spent the meal catching up. It had been years since they'd spent any real time together. After the waiter carried away their plates, the sound of a saxophone made the couple look across the room. The restaurant had a dance floor on one side of the room. On the far side of it, a small band had begun playing a slow, jazzy song. The singer, a woman a few years older than Misato, had a low, sensual voice. A handful of people were on their feet dancing.

Misato recognized the glint in Kaji's eye. "Oh, no. No way."

Kaji pushed back his chair and rose to his feet, "Come on, Katsuragi. Don't tell me you're afraid of a little dance."

She was out of her seat in the blink of an eye. "Who's afraid?" She smirked, "I just don't want to show you up."

"I would relish the opportunity to be shown up by you," he said, stepping away from the table and extending a hand toward Misato.

She took it and let him lead her to the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she draped hers around his shoulders. They began to sway in time with the music.

Kaji leaned in to whisper in her ear, his stubble lightly rubbing against her cheek, "So what was is that convinced you to come tonight?"

She shivered at the sensation of his breath on her ear. "Watching Shinji and Asuka the past couple weeks."

"Oh?"

She nodded, "The way they act like they don't want each other, making themselves miserable when they could be happy." Kaji watched her, listening intently. "It's like watching a miniature version of us."

His eyes moved, taking in every inch of Misato's face, "I never pretended that I didn't want you."

"No, but I did. But that's been getting harder ever since you came back into my life." Damn it, she was not about to start crying. Not here.

"Then why…"

"Because I'm scared. What if something happens?" A tear broke free and started rolling down her cheek.

Kaji wiped it away. "What if it doesn't?"

Misato bit her lip.

He cupped her cheek. "What's the point of living if we let our fear control us?" he whispered as he pulled her into a kiss.

#

* * *

#

The next day found Shinji and Asuka navigating the labyrinthine corridors of NERV Headquarters.

"Come on, Third," Asuka huffed. "I want to get to the pool already."

Shinji didn't struggle as Asuka dragged him by the wrist in the direction of the pool. It wasn't worth the bruises. "Why are you dragging me along anyway?" He sighed inwardly even as he spoke. Sometimes he was convinced that he was a masochist.

Asuka just shot him a quizzical glance.

"It's not like I'll be swimming. I could have just stayed home." When she released his hand, he looked at her in confusion. It took a second for him to realize that they had reached the locker rooms, right down the hall from the pool.

Asuka had her arms crossed and a dangerous expression on her face. "If you want to leave, then go." Her voice was low, but Shinji winced as though she had shouted in his face. "But see if I ever bring you to spend time with me in social situations again." She spun on her heel and pushed into the women's locker room.

Shinji just stared at the swinging door, dumbstruck.

"Pilot Ikari," a soft, level voice greeted from behind his back.

He barely suppressed a shout of surprise as he turned to find Rei studying him impassively, "Ayanami, hi."

"Are you here to utilize the NERV pool as well?"

"Uh, no. I…I actually don't know how to swim." He felt his face color slightly at the admission.

Her head tilted a few degrees to the right, "Then why are you here?"

Shinji shifted uncomfortably, "Asuka dragged me here."

Rei nodded sagely, "That would explain why you were staring at the door to the women's locker room."

"I'm sorry?"

"I have observed that many people walk away from interactions with the Second Child either confounded or angry. Pilot Sohryu and I are rather alike in this matter."

Shinji rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Right, well, I wouldn't mention that to Asuka. She probably wouldn't appreciate it."

The pale girl nodded slowly, "Thank you for the advice." She started to walk past him into the locker room.

As the door swung shut behind Rei, Shinji continued to stand in the hallway, uncertain about what to do. He shifted his backpack on his shoulders and glanced down the hall toward the pool. He shrugged. At least he could get some homework done here. That shouldn't piss Asuka off too much.

He settled into a poolside chair, placing his laptop on the table. Once the computer booted up, he started on his physics homework. It was his worst subject, so he needed all the time he could get to finish the assignment.

A few minutes later, Asuka strolled into the pool area. She cast a glance in his direction, apparently surprised to see him still there, but didn't say anything. She walked around to the deep end and jumped into the water.

Shinji tried to focus on his homework, but kept looking at Asuka as she backstroked up and down the length of the pool.

At some point, Rei entered and quietly placed a towel down on a chair. Without saying anything, she lowered herself into the water and began to let herself coast around leisurely.

Tuning out the smell of chlorine and the sound of splashing water, he forced his attention back to the physics problem he was working on. It continued to taunt him with its seeming unsolvability.

The sound of wet footsteps drew his attention away from his computer. Asuka stood a couple feet away, one hand on her hip, looking at him curiously. "What are you working on?"

Shinji stammered for a second as he watched Asuka push her hair out of her eyes. "The, um, the physics homework. It's really hard."

She scoffed, "Our physics homework? That's kid stuff. When I was in college, I was doing much harder stuff."

"You went to college?" Shinji couldn't keep the amazement out of his voice.

Asuka smirked, "Mhm. I graduated last year."

"Then why aren't you doing better in school. It all must be so simple for you."

She crossed her arms and humphed, "If you must know, I haven't mastered the kanji yet."

A pause as Shinji processed this, "You mean you're having trouble reading the questions?"

"That's right." She leaned down to look at the problem on the computer screen. "Now what are you having trouble with?"  
"Uh," Shinji forced himself to tear his gaze away from Asuka's breasts, which were suddenly at eye level. He blushed a little, "It's a thermal expansion problem."

Asuka laughed lightly, "Thermal expansion? Oh, man. That's so simple."

Shinji just stared at her blankly.

She sighed, "Basically, most things expand when they heat up and shrink when they cool down."

"Okay," he said, drawing out the word out slightly.

"Think of it this way," she said as she said as she abruptly straightened up. Her hands went to her chest, "If I were to rub my breasts to warm them up, do you think they'd get bigger or smaller?"

Shinji choked in shock as his light blush deepened considerably, "I-I don't know. I don't think about things like that."

"Well, think about it," she said with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow.

Shinji's mind was racing almost as fast as his pulse. _Okay. If Asuka rubs her breasts…_Try as he might, Shinji was unable to get his thought process past that point. "Um…bigger?"

Asuka let her hand fall to her sides, a small smile forming, "I'm impressed, baka. You can learn after all." She turned and headed back toward the deep end of the pool.

Shinji watched her go, physics homework momentarily forgotten.

As she stepped to the edge of the pool, she looked over at Shinji thoughtfully. "Hey, Shinji," she called. "Come here for a minute."

He stood up, somewhat confused, and walked over to the gesturing redhead. "What is it?" he asked as he drew even with her.

She smiled sweetly and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm going to teach you how to swim."

It took Shinji a second to figure out what she said. That was all she needed, however, as she wrapped her arms around him and threw herself into the water, dragging him with her.

Kicking and flailing, Shinji felt his head sink below the surface of the water. He screamed, only succeeding in choking himself. A hand shot down and pulled him back up. He started working his way toward the edge of the pool, still flailing desperately. When his hands found purchase, he leaned against the concrete edge, coughing and sputtering.

Asuka swam up next to him, concern written on her face, "Are you okay?"

As he regained his breath, Shinji found a rare surge of anger flare up, "What the fuck?"

Asuka just gaped at the unexpected outburst.

Instead of quickly fading like usual, Shinji felt his anger building. "Seriously, what the hell? You know I can't swim. What's wrong with you?"

"I didn't think…I thought it would be funny. I thought you'd laugh."

He hauled himself out of the pool, his clothes soaked and clinging, "Well I'm not laughing." He walked back to his table and stuffed his laptop into his backpack. Turning to leave, he saw that Asuka hadn't moved and Rei had stopped in the middle of the pool, treading water. They were both watching him, Rei curiously and Asuka in shock.

He pushed through the door to the hallway and went to the locker room. It was a good thing he kept a change of clothes here with his plugsuit.

#

* * *

#

"We have identified the eighth angel." Gendo Ikari's voice was, as always, cold and analytical.

Misato stood rigidly at attention as she watched her superior in the dim light of his office, "You're certain, sir?"

"Completely." If he was annoyed at being questioned by a subordinate, he gave no indication of it.

She nodded solemnly, "Where is it?"

Ikari pressed a button on his desk, bringing up a holographic map of the region. An area was highlighted in red. "The crater of Mount Asama. It is still in an embryonic form."

"So this should be an easy one to kill. I'll mobilize the Evas, sir."

"No," Ikari's voice echoed slightly around the cavernous office. "This is our chance to study a live angel. You are to capture it and ready it for transport to a secure location."

"But, sir, that's…" She caught herself and took a deep, steadying breath. "Of course, Commander. I'll get to work on a plan immediately."

"Do everything in your power to capture it, Captain, but do not hesitate to kill it if that becomes impossible. You are dismissed."

Misato saluted and marched out of the office.

Once the door was shut, Vice Commander Fuyutsuki stood to Ikari's right.

"What do you think, Fuyutsuki?"

The former professor remained diplomatic in his answer, "I've already voiced my concerns about capturing the angel. As much as I dislike it, though, I will follow your lead."

Ikari nodded. "Good." He sensed hesitation on his second-in-command's part. "Is there something else?"

Fuyutsuki nodded and cleared his throat. "Yes, sir." He inputted a few commands into a tablet computer and handed it to Ikari. "This was forwarded to me by the director of Section 2. It's just a few hours old."

Ikari watched as a video began to play. He instantly identified the room as the NERV pool. His son sat at a table with a laptop open in front of him. The Second Child entered and began swimming, followed soon after by Rei. The Commander watched dispassionately as the Second climbed out of the pool, walked over to Shinji, and began openly flirting with him.

Ikari rested his fist against his chin as he watched Asuka call Shinji to the edge of the pool. She said something, hugged him, and pulled him into the pool. The boy flailed around and began to sink until the Second Child pulled him up. He rested on the edge of the pool and glared at the girl.

"Hmm," he muttered as Shinji began yelling at Asuka and stormed out of the pool, leaving a speechless German girl in his wake. He paused the video and looked at Fuyutsuki, "I assume you've watched this."

"I have."

He looked at the older man expectantly, "What do you think about it?"

"I think it's hardly conclusive evidence."

"I agree, but it is fairly compelling when paired with the footage from the night before the battle against the seventh angel."

Fuyutsuki clasped his hands behind his back, "Shall I alert Section 2?"

Ikari stared at the tablet contemplatively, "Not yet. I want to be absolutely certain before we take action."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "I'll have Section 2 keep a closer eye on the Second Child's behavior at least."

"Good," Ikari said as he stood up. "If there's nothing else, I have business to attend to."

#

* * *

#

"What are those planes?" Shinji looked up at the glinting airplanes circling high above the volcano.

"The UN's keeping a close eye on this operation." Misato seemed less than pleased with the fact.

"So we have backup?" Asuka looked surprised.

"Not exactly," Misato replied. "If we fail, they have orders to drop a few dozen N2 mines on us to kill the angel."

"What?" Asuka was aghast. "Who would order something like that?"

"Commander Ikari."

An awkward silence dominated the next couple seconds. Doctor Akagi approached the three, studying a clipboard. "We're ready. You two should get into your Evas."

It took a few minutes for the two pilots to get into their cockpits. Shinji settled into the seat as best he could in the bulbous form of the specially insulated plugsuit. It strangely matched the Type-D equipment that encased Unit-01.

He hadn't been surprised to hear that he was the one being sent into the volcano. He had been surprised when Asuka didn't argue with the decision. In fact, the girl had been strangely subdued through the entire briefing.

He ran through the startup sequence and watched as the crane he was strapped to swung him over the volcano's crater. As he dangled there, he waited to be lowered into the lava. A part of him wished he could call this Misato's craziest plan yet, but in reality it wasn't even close.

After the laser drill blasted an opening into the lava, a lurching sensation in his stomach alerted him to the fact that he was being lowered. As he dropped lower, a screen appeared before him. He looked at the person displayed in it, "Asuka?" He felt a small resurgence of his earlier anger.

Asuka didn't meet his eye when she spoke, "I wanted to apologize for earlier."

"Guh?" Shinji winced at what was easily the least articulate sound he had ever made.

"At the pool. I'm sorry. I really thought you'd think it was funny. I didn't mean to upset you." The girl finally looked him in the eye. He couldn't be sure because of the quality of the video screen, but it looked like she had tears in her eyes.

Shinji instantly felt his anger melt away. "It-it's okay, Asuka."

She cleared her throat, "G-good." She paused as Unit-01 started to descend below the surface of the lava. "Be careful, baka-Shinji." She offered a weak smile.

He smiled back as Asuka killed the video feed. A second later Unit-01 was completely submerged. "Misato, I can't see a thing down here."

"Switch to high powered scanning mode," Misato said. "That should help."

With a quick mental command, he switched visual modes. The impenetrable mass that Shinji couldn't see through at all became a mostly impenetrable mass that he could see a few feet through. "It did something at least."

After a tense but ultimately uneventful period of time, someone spoke up. "Shinji, you're at the target depth." It was one of the bridge officers, either Aoba or Hyuga. Shinji felt bad that he had so much trouble keeping the two of them straight in his head. "Is there any sign of it?"

Shinji looked around, "No. It's not here."

After a few frantic minutes, the crew finally came to a conclusion. "The lava currents are faster than we expected it must have drifted further than we anticipated," someone said. "Recalculating."

"Shinji," Misato said, "We've got drop you more to get to the new target depth. The problem is that the target is past the maximum certified depth for the Type-D equipment."

Shinji gulped, "O-okay. Let's go then."

Misato smiled at him then looked away, "You heard him. Get that thing moving."

And so began the next stage of uneventful but extremely stressful lowering. About three quarters of the way to the new depth though, something happened. The strap holding his progressive knife to the outside of the Type-D armor gave out under the pressure. Shinji moved to grab at the knife as it fell, but remembered the presence of the electromagnetic cage in the Eva's hands. He let it disappear from his sight, "Misato, I've lost my prog knife."

"Understood, Shinji. You should be nearing the target. Get ready. You'll only get one shot at this."

Shinji hefted the cage in anticipation and waited. Suddenly, something appeared in his line of sight, something that was most definitely not a natural occurrence in a pit of lava. "I see it." _It_ looked strangely like an oversized human embryo.

"Blood type confirmed," one of the officers up above stated. "It's blue."

Misato nodded, "Okay, Shinji. Snag it and we'll get you out of there."

Carefully, Shinji slid the edges of the electromagnetic cage around the floating embryo and activated it. A shimmering blue field enveloped the unborn angel. He let out a sigh of relief, "Cage activated. I got it."

A brief cheer erupted over the com line. "Great work, Shinji. We're pulling you out now."

He felt the crane start to lift him and let himself start to relax. Until, that is, the angel egg started to bulge and shift inside the cage. "Something's wrong. I think it's waking up." It started to grow. "Yeah, it's definitely waking up."

After a moment of conferring with the scientists, Misato came over the line again, "Ditch the cage. It's going to break out any minute now."

Shinji dropped the thing without hesitation. He watched it sink for a few seconds before the angel burst free. It was huge, way bigger than it really should have been for having just come out of that egg. It vaguely resembled a heavily armored manta ray or something. With huge, razor sharp teeth. Can't forget the razor sharp teeth. It was coming toward him.

He reached for the progressive knife at his thigh before remembering that it was gone, "Misato, I don't have my prog knife."

"Asuka's is already on its way to you. It should be there in forty-five seconds."

The angel would reach him before that. For a moment, he flashed back to the battle against the sixth angel. As it closed in on him, he tried to block. The move was more effective than he expected. He managed to deflect the angel's snapping jaws up and away from his head.

The flashing red lights told him that not everything was cool. As he looked at the problem, the irony of that thought dawned on him. Three of the five lines that both anchored him to the surface and provided the coolant that was keeping him alive had been severed. He felt the temperature inside the Eva briefly rise before the remaining two lines compensated for the damaged ones. "Misato, I've lost coolant lines two, four, and five."

"I copy. Knife is just a few seconds away. You should be able to see it soon."

Shinji tore his gaze away from the angel as it came around for a second pass and looked up. The knife faded into view. He reached up and snagged the blade. As soon as the angel was in range, he let out a scream and drove the blade at its armor.

The beast screeched and slowed down, but the knife barely penetrated its armor. "It's not working. Its armor is too thick."

"Oh, no," he heard Akagi say. "The heat must have expanded its armor."

"So what should I do?" Shinji shouted as he used the prog knife to push against the angel.

"Shinji," Asuka popped up in a window at the corner of his vision. "It's like your physics problem."

Shinji gasped, "You mean…"

"Thermal expansion," they finished together.

"Here goes nothing," he said as he brought the knife up to one of the two remaining coolant lines. He cut it and thrust it into the angel's mouth just before it bit at the Eva's head. "Pump all coolant through line one." He felt the line buck slightly in his hand and the pressure inside it suddenly increased. The temperature inside the cockpit began to skyrocket.

Small cracks began to form in the angel's armor as it contracted slightly. Shinji jammed his knife into one of them and sliced it open. He saw the red sphere that was the core and repeatedly jammed the prog knife into it. Finally, the blade sank into the core. The angel let out an earsplitting scream and began to sink. A few seconds later it exploded.

An alarm drew Shinji's gaze up to the remaining coolant line. It was ruptured and beginning to tear. "Misato, I'm about to lose my last coolant line." In a moment of desperation, he dropped the knife and reached up. Grabbing the line just above the rupture, he began to pull himself up.

The hand-over-hand climb was slow going. It wasn't made easier by the fact that, without any coolant flowing into the environment suit, the cockpit temperature was quickly climbing out of a survivable range. "I'm climbing up the line. Start pulling me back up."

The climb went a lot faster now that the crane was moving. Even so, Shinji felt consciousness leaving him. His vision began to tunnel. He was so close, he wasn't about to die when he was this close. About a hundred meters from the surface, his grip loosened as he became too weak to hold on.

He dimly heard shouting as Unit-01 began to sink. He felt a jerk as something impacted his Eva. The last thing he saw before passing out was the blurry likeness of Unit-02 holding the dangling remains of the coolant lines in one hand and Unit-01's hand in the other. They started to rise again.

#

* * *

#

"The eighth angel is dead."

Commander Ikari folded his hands in front of his unreadable face. "Very well."

Fuyutsuki looked at his superior, "The Second and Third Children are currently in the hospital. The Third may have suffered heat stroke from sitting in the uncooled Evangelion for so long. The Second as a result of her diving into the lava unprotected."

"It is of no consequence," Ikari answered. "They will be fine and the damage to Units 01 and 02 was relatively minimal. The loss of the angel was regrettable, but does not damage the scenario."

Fuyutsuki nodded.

#

* * *

#

Shinji slowly opened his eyes. "Too familiar ceiling," he whispered, smiling at his own private joke. He immediately recognized the ceiling of a NERV hospital room, having spent so much time in them. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing as an IV tugged at his arm with the movement.

"What was that, Third?"

Shinji started at the unexpected voice. He looked to his left and saw Asuka sitting in a bed of her own, a book open in her hands. With the exception of a few bandages, she seemed largely unharmed. She looked at him curiously. "Oh, uh, nothing."

She closed the book and set it aside, "Glad to see you're awake. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't around to cook for Misato and me." She grinned over at him.

Shinji didn't know what to say. He looked at his hands. After a moment he spoke again, "Thanks for saving my life."

Asuka shrugged, "We're teammates. You'd have done the same for me."

He nodded, "Still, I'm glad you weren't hurt too badly. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you because you were trying to save me."

The redhead looked away, scratching her cheek, "Geez, getting a little sentimental, Third?"

Shinji smiled, "Sorry."

She closed her eyes and chuckled, "You don't have to apologize, Shinji. _I_ wouldn't have been able to live with myself if you died when I could have saved you." She looked at him thoughtfully, a playful grin curving her lips, "It's no fun being the best pilot if my only competition is Wondergirl."

Asuka began to laugh, and Shinji soon found himself laughing as well. Angel battle notwithstanding, today had turned out to be a pretty good day.

* * *

A/N: And…done. Things are getting pretty different, no? Anyway, this chapter had the most actual writing on my part, as opposed to transcribing episodes. That automatically makes it my favorite chapter so far. I hope you guys still liked it as much as you seemed to enjoy the first two chapters. Anyway, drop a review if you have the time. I really appreciate them more than I can say. I always get a little thrill when I see a Review Notification in my email inbox. I'll be taking a couple days off before I get started on chapter 4. For the curious, I post updates on my writing progress in my profile.

Oh, on the off chance that anyone cares, there was a particular song I was picturing during the Misato/Kaji scene. It's called "Torched Song" off the _L.A. Noire_ soundtrack.

And now…

Review Acknowledgements:

**Iamjustanotherguy**, **NapalmInTheRain**, and **Jack Daniels**: Sorry to lump you all together like this, but my response was more or less the same for all of you. I obviously don't want to comment on speculation, but by all means feel free to keep it up. I really enjoyed watching people making predictions. I'm glad I managed to grab your attention enough to warrant it. Let's see if I can keep it now.

**Hotako Tomoe**: Same as above, to start with. Beyond that, the episode transcribing was actually something I wasn't terribly thrilled about doing. I ultimately decided that it was necessary to make the sudden separation in this chapter more striking. Still, thanks for sticking with it. Let me know if you find this one easier to get into.

**KnightLance12**: Haha, no worries. I actually wasn't sure about the flaming rocks bit, but yeah, it seemed to capture Asuka's attitude so well that I couldn't bear to cut it. You're right, by the way. This is my first story. "Not crap" was really my only goal when I hit the publish button. It's extremely gratifying to hear that I surpassed that.

**Donderkind**: I hope I managed to keep up at least some of that subtlety in the relationships here. There was actually originally going to be another scene after Gendo's closer, but it was so inconsequential that I cut it. I thought Gendo made for a better closer anyway. Glad I'm not the only one who thought so. I know you didn't get much in the way of answers here, but I hope it'll keep you coming back for more.

**Chuckman**: Thanks. I like it here in the jungle. You've got fun and games here. My friend actually made a similar comment about me rewriting the series after I told him about what he inspired by showing me _Rebuild_. It's funny, I actually associate Evangelion more with _Rebuild _since it's what I saw first. That's probably Eva was the first fandom I've ever actually written a fic for. It's already so pliable in my mind that I couldn't resist, if that makes any sense. I've got a pretty good idea of where these deviations will go. Hope you enjoy the ride.


	4. Contamination

A/N: Hey, everyone. Did you miss me? I've got to say, it's good to be back. This chapter gave me a little trouble. I knew where I wanted it to go, but it took forever to figure out how to get there. Anyway, enjoy.

Disclaimer: Okay. I found the eleventh man for the team. It should only be a matter of time before the whole "Not Owning _NGE_" situation has been remedied. We just have to get the proper materials together and we can get things started.

* * *

**_Neon Genesis Evangelion: Mitigation_**

Chapter 4: Contamination

* * *

To Shinji's enormous surprise, the NERV medical staff only kept him in the hospital for one night. It took the better part of an hour to get processed out, but by noon he was on his way out of the hospital. He was about halfway through the lobby before he spotted the girl seated by the wall. Her head was rested against the wall, looking up at the ceiling with her arms folded over her chest and her leg bouncing impatiently. "Asuka?"

She lifted her head up and looked over at him. "About time," she said. "I got here almost an hour ago and they said you were on your way out."

Shinji chuckled uncertainly, "Yeah, you'd think I'd be able to get out faster, with how often I end up in here." He furrowed his brow, "What are you doing here anyway?" It was a perfectly fair question. Asuka had been released around nine o'clock last night, a couple hours after Shinji woke up.

She arched an eyebrow, "I was going to see how you were doing. Then I decided to wait for you to get out. If I'd known how long it would take I would've just left you to get home by yourself." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, I'm glad you waited," he answered with a smile.

Asuka stood up and stretched, "Yeah, well…I didn't have anything better to do today. I figured I might as well grace you with my presence."

Shinji didn't say anything as they walked out of the hospital. Outside, he followed Asuka as she headed in the direction of the apartment.

After a few minutes of silence, Asuka spoke again, "Misato's at work. That's why she couldn't come pick you up."

Shinji looked over at the girl next to him, taking in her profile. He shrugged. "I don't mind."

"She hasn't shut up about you since she picked me up yesterday."

"Misato?" Shinji's eyebrows inched upward.

Asuka nodded. "Mhm. She's been freaking out about how you almost died."

"I have been a little bit too, to be honest."

She mumbled something in response. Shinji didn't quite catch it, but he knew better than to ask her to repeat it. She looked over at him and, in a clearer voice, said, "You realize, of course, that you owe me now, right?"

Shinji sighed, "I had a feeling."

"Hmph. You don't sound very grateful. You'd be dead if it weren't for me." She crossed her arms indignantly, though the move was undercut by her grin.

#

* * *

#

Misato had never liked it in Commander Ikari's office. Hated it, in fact. It was quite obvious that everything about the room was designed to intimidate the person in front of the desk, and it did just that extraordinarily well. Her general trepidation about dealing with the commander didn't ease matters in the slightest.

Ikari didn't look up at her as he worked through a small pile of requisition forms. "What is it, Captain?"

Misato took a deep breath, "Sir, I have some concerns about your…intervention before the Mount Asama mission. I didn't say anything at the time because I wanted to avoid questioning you in front of the staff."

He laid the pen down and finally looked at his operations director. His hands formed a bridge in front of his unreadable face. "Such as?"

She took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Your decision to send Unit-01 into the volcano instead of Unit-02 like I recommended."

Ikari remained silent, watching her from behind the reflective lenses of his glasses.

Misato took this as a signal to continue. "Doctor Akagi and her team had to scramble to get the Type-D equipment modified enough to fit onto Unit-01." When Ikari still didn't say anything, she continued. "She feels confident that the last minute modifications are the reason we nearly lost Unit-01 the way we did."

"Get to your point, Captain."

Misato bit at the inside of her cheek. "I'm wondering why you put Asuka on the sidelines for the mission, sir. As operations director, I think I deserve to know if one of my assets is being marginalized."

The commander's eyebrow twitched upward, ever so slightly, "I have my reasons, Captain Katsuragi. Reasons I do not have the inclination to explain and you do not have the clearance to hear anyway. The Second Child will continue to sortie, but I want you to put the Third on point in your battle plans until further notice."

The dismissal was clear. She bit back her protests and snapped off a salute. "Very well, Commander." Turning on her heel, Misato marched out of the office.

After the door to the cavernous office swung shut, Ikari picked up the pen again, "There's something you want to say, Fuyutsuki?"

A throat cleared somewhere behind him, "I am simply uncertain about the wisdom of this plan. It seems too risky."

Ikari arched an eyebrow, "You would prefer we simply removed the removed the threat from the equation." It wasn't a question.

"It does seem…prudent."

"It is unnecessary at this juncture," the supreme commander responded. Fuyutsuki opened his mouth to say something, but Ikari cut him off. "You see the same reports from Section Two as I. There have been no significant signs of contamination yet. It would be foolish to squander such a potent weapon."

The former professor frowned, "In what way do we possess a potent weapon?"

"Because, Fuyutsuki, we have, at our disposal, someone who has lived through this entire conflict. Someone who knows how to defeat each angel. That knowledge is too valuable to simply throw away."

"And when that becomes too dangerous?"

Ikari picked up his pen and began working through the stack of forms again, "We can extract the information we need at that point. I can be very…persuasive."

Fuyutsuki suppressed a shudder at the tone in the younger man's voice.

#

* * *

#

Shinji suddenly found himself staring mortality in the face. That was nothing new for him; he was an Evangelion pilot after all. The strange thing was that he never expected to be killed, albeit accidentally, by an exuberant Misato Katsuragi. Officially, he decided, the cause of death would be listed as either suffocation or massive blood loss thanks to a severe nosebleed. As soon as she got home, Misato had pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. A side effect of this was that he found his face buried in her…ahem…ample cleavage.

"Mmmmphpphmhmmp," Shinji said. Unsurprisingly, his muffled pleas did nothing to help his situation..

On the couch, Asuka rolled her eyes and turned up the volume on the television. "If you don't let him go, you're going to send him straight back to the hospital."

The raven haired woman finally released the hapless boy, who took a step back, gasping and panting, skin slowly regaining its regular, oxygen-enriched color. She giggled, "Sorry, Shinji. Just think of that as your welcome home present." The giggle turned into an uproarious laugh as Shinji flushed red. Cracking open a beer, she studied the two teens in front of her, "I'm really proud of the both of you. You did a great job against the angel."

Asuka scoffed, "You're just glad I saved your precious Shinji."

Misato looked at her reproachfully, "I'm just as relieved that you're okay, Asuka. Besides, I seem to recall more than a little concern on your part. Nobody ordered you to jump into the volcano. You didn't even give us a chance to think of it." She smirked playfully.

"I…" Asuka's jaw dropped as she whipped around in her seat to look at the older woman. Shinji noticed a faint tinge to her cheeks. She fumbled for a response, "Don't be ridiculous." She stood up and stormed into her bedroom.

"Oh my," Misato chortled, "I think I touched a nerve."

Shinji stared blankly at Asuka's closed door, "I can't help but think that I'm going to end up paying for that somewhere down the line."

"Well just remember," she said with a wink and a pat on the shoulder, "to use protection when she makes you pay."

"Misato," Shinji choked, blushing furiously.

Misato smiled innocently and walked past him, "Goodnight, Shinji. Sweet dreams."

"…Goodnight."

#

* * *

#

"Asuka, are you sure about this?" Shinji looked uncertainly at the building in front of them.

Asuka studied the crumbling edifice with some trepidation of her own. "I don't think there's anything else we can do."

Shinji looked around the parking lot they were standing in. A handful of decrepit-looking cars sat scattered around, the glass in their windows long since broken. A chain link fence topped with spirals of barbed wire encircled the property, though it had fallen in a number of places. He sighed, "I guess you're right."

They moved across the parking lot to the large metal doors. When they were just a few feet away, Shinji saw something he hadn't seen in a long time. "Asuka, look at the control panel."

The redhead looked at the panel and her eyes went wide. A small red light glowed steadily. "This building still has power." She laughed, "This might actually work."

Shinji leaned over to study the panel. "Do you still have my father's ID card?" He pointed at the card reader that served as the only visible means of opening the door. "Somehow I don't think ours will get us into here."

Asuka wordlessly reached into her pocket and produced the plastic card. The commander's bearded face stared out at them, coldly calculating even in the years old picture. She ran the card through the reader. The light changed from red to green and the door slid open with only the faintest trace grinding metal, a testament to the quality of the work that went in to the construction of this building.

Shinji peered inside, pretending not to notice that he was so nervous that he was on the verge of hyperventilating. He felt something on his hand. Looking down, he found that Asuka had moved next to him and taken his hand. She offered a comforting smile. He took a deep breath and smiled back, "Let's do this."

The inside was…oddly pristine. The only sign that anything was amiss was the stale, musty air. Not trusting the elevator, they took the stairs down into the bowels of the facility. They went down three flights before they saw the first one. A faint wave of nausea passed over Asuka at the sight of it. She'd seen it literally thousands of times now, but the sight of abandoned clothes stained with dried LCL never failed to disturb her.

Their trip to the lowest level of the installation took them past another half dozen tanged people. Each time, the two teens averted their eyes and skirted around the pile. The hallway at the bottom of the stairs only contained one heavy steel door.

Hauling the door open, the two stepped into a largish room. The majority of the floor space was taken up by rows of computer stations oriented toward the large windows overlooking a cavernous chamber. Curiously, Asuka crept toward the window to get a better look at the room beyond. In the exact center of the room was a seat connected by thick bundles of wires and cables to the machinery that filled most of the chamber.

She spun around to face Shinji, a huge smile spreading across her face, "Shinji, I think this is it." She ran over to the boy and threw her arms around him. "We can make this right." She let out a joyous laugh as a few tears streaked down her face.

Shinji hugged her back, a smile of his own forming.

#

* * *

#

Asuka's eyes snapped open as she woke up with a jolt. She swore under her breath as she curled into a fetal position. These damn dreams were going to be the death of her. They'd plagued her almost every night for weeks. Most of the salient details faded once she woke up, but she remembered enough to know they were all connected somehow and extremely unsettling.

And it wasn't just the dreams. Sometimes she was convinced that she was going mad. She kept getting flashes of…something. It was almost like a persistent feeling of déjà vu. It came and went though, seemingly at random.

Her head began to throb. Groaning in frustration, she grasped the sides of her head, her entire body shaking with nervous energy.

Asuka wasn't sure how long she laid like that, but eventually a soft noise drew her attention. She didn't turn to face the gentle knocking, and she didn't say anything, but she went still and listened.

"Asuka?"

Of course it was him. Of course he'd show up when she least wanted to see him. She didn't say anything.

"Are you okay?"

She scowled into the darkness, "I'm fine, baka. Just trying to sleep. What do you want?"

"Um…it sounded like you were crying. I wanted to make sure you're okay." He sounded unbelievably nervous, as if half convinced that he was making a huge mistake.

Confused, Asuka touched a hand to her cheek. Her confusion was only heightened when she felt her face wet with tears. "Like I said, I'm fine. Just leave me alone."

She could practically hear him recoil at the venom in her voice. He started to turn to leave, "Sorry, Asuka. Good night."

He was almost out of the room before Asuka spun around and looked at him, "Shinji, wait."

Shinji froze, "A-Asuka?"

"Don't go." God, what was wrong with her? He would probably think she's a nutcase.

He stood motionless in the doorway. "Asuka, I don't know what you want me to do." He sounded desperate, completely at a loss for how to respond in this situation.

"Stay," she begged. "I…I don't want to be alone right now." She slid over on her bed to make room for him.

Slowly, as if expecting this to turn out to be some kind of trick, Shinji crossed over to the bed. "Sure." He slid into the bed and situated himself right on the edge, leaving as much space as possible between him and the fiery German girl.

Asuka sighed, "You don't have to balance yourself on the edge you know. You can move in a little."

Shinji pushed himself a few inches toward the center of the bed. He let out a small squeak as Asuka latched onto him, wrapping her arms around him. "Wh-what are you doing?"

Asuka snuggled against him, "Don't get any ideas, baka. I just…you're warm and I'm cold. If you try anything, you'll wish I left you in that volcano."

"Asuka," Shinji choked, "you know I'd never…" He trailed off when he noticed the girl's breathing relax and slow. She was already asleep.

He sighed and stared at the ceiling. Sleep would not come as easily to the Third Child that night.

It felt like he had just fallen asleep when a ray of sunlight fell across his face, prompting an irritated groan. His eyes snapped open. Sunlight? That shouldn't be possible. His room didn't have a window. His old room did, but Asuka had assumed control of that room on her first day here. His tired brain slowly caught up with reality.

"Oh, good. You're awake."

Eyes wide, Shinji turned his head to face the voice. Misato stood in the doorway with her arms crossed and a mildly amused expression on her face. "Misato," he almost shouted, instantly wide awake. He tried to sit up, but a weight on his chest prevented the move. A quick glance down revealed a sleeping Asuka resting her head on his chest. His arms were around her waist.

Misato smirked, "Careful, Shinji. You don't want to wake up Asuka by shouting another woman's name. She probably wouldn't appreciate that."

Eyes darting frantically, Shinji stammered out a response. "I, we didn't…I mean, nothing happened."

"Oh, I know," she said, stifling a laugh. "The walls here are pretty thin. I'd know if something did happen."

Instead of answering, Shinji tried to roll Asuka off of his chest without waking her up. She whimpered and tightened her grip on him. Misato giggled. "I think you'll have to wake her up."

Had Shinji been less reserved, he would have told Misato to shut it. As it was, he placed a hand on Asuka's shoulder, trying not to think about how beautiful she looked. "Um, Asuka?" He gently shook her.

She rolled off of him and groaned, rubbing her eyes. As soon as he was free, Shinji climbed out of the bed. "Shinji?" Shinji froze in his tracks and Asuka sat bolt upright, an expression of shock on her face. She looked at the two people standing in the doorway.

"Uh…good morning," he said, offering a nervous wave. "I should…uh…make breakfast." She squeezed past Misato and practically ran to the kitchen.

That left Asuka and Misato looking at each other. Asuka blushed furiously and Misato turned red from trying to suppress her laughter. "You'd better get up. You two have school today." She turned and left the girl alone.

When Asuka came out of her room a few minutes later, Misato had already left for work. She sat down at the kitchen table as Shinji placed a plate in front of her. He didn't meet her eye as he moved around.

Asuka sighed, "You know I'm not going to kick your ass, right?"

"Huh?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose, "I asked you to stay. How would it be fair for me to get mad at you for that?"

"It never stopped you before," he shrugged.

"I didn't get mad last time we shared a bed," she fired back, gaze firmly fixed on her breakfast.

Shinji blinked in surprise, "Last time?"

"Never mind," she muttered, shoving the plate away from her. She stood up and went to finish getting ready for school.

"Wait, you mean the night before we killed the Seventh Angel?"

Asuka didn't answer as she slid her door shut.

He turned to the penguin standing in front of the refrigerator. "Sometimes I think I'll never understand women, Pen Pen."

The penguin looked over his shoulder at the confused boy, "Wark."

#

* * *

#

Shinji listened quietly as Kensuke and Toji told him about their trip to Okinawa. Kensuke kept trying to show him all the footage he shot, which amounted to basically the entire weekend, while Toji explained in great detail all the total babes that were walking around.

"Sucks that you missed it, man," Toji finished.

Kensuke nodded, "Yeah, it wasn't the same without you."

"Thanks, guys," Shinji smiled.

"Anything interesting happen here?"

Shinji shrugged, "I had a weird couple of days."

"What happened?" Kensuke asked, leaning forward anxiously, clearly hoping for some juicy NERV gossip.

"I don't really know how to explain," he answered. "It was just strange." He glanced across the room to where Asuka sat chatting with the class rep.

"Ah," Toji nodded sagely, "Red Devil giving you a hard time?" He patted Shinji on the shoulder, "That's hardly new."

"That's not it," he shook his head. "Just the opposite in fact. She was…nice."

His friends looked at him as if he had sprouted a second head. Toji's jaw dropped, "Nice? I can't even start to imagine that."

"I know, but it's true." He felt himself smile a little.

"You…you haven't been fraternizing with the enemy, have you?"

"What?" Shinji turned red, "No, it's not like that." He facepalmed. I seemed that this was going to be a theme for the day.

Across the room, Asuka told Hikari about her weekend. Hikari clasped her hand together and let out a little squeal. "Oh, Asuka, that sounds so adorable. Such a fun little date."

Asuka gaped at her friend, "Seriously? First Misato, now you? It was not a date; I just didn't want to go to the mall by myself." She gestured vaguely in Shinji's direction, "Who would want to go on a date with that baka?"

Hikari shrugged, "I don't know. He's kind of cute."

"Fine then," Asuka said, glaring at her friend. "You ask him out."

"Asuka…"

"No, it would be so _cute_. I can see it now. You could be Hikari Ikari."

"You know I don't think of him like that," Hikari whispered.

Asuka rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed by her sudden outburst. "Hikari, I'm…I'm sorry. I had a weird weekend."

The class rep smiled, "It's okay, Asuka. Although I have to say, I've never seen you jealous before."

"Ugh," Asuka groaned, dropping her head into her hands. Of course, Hikari had to pick today to get a sense of humor about this sort of thing. This was going to be a long day.

#

* * *

#

Shinji sighed and dropped onto the couch, staring blankly at the television. The past couple weeks had been largely uneventful. There hadn't been any new angel attacks, so the pilots' time at NERV was spent mainly suffering through synch tests.

This was actually the first free Friday night they had been given in ages, and Shinji for one was ecstatic to have a quiet night at home. Extremely quiet actually, since Asuka was spending the night at Hikari's. That would leave him and Misato for the night, which was fine with him. For all her teasing, Misato didn't leave him nearly as confused and frustrated as Asuka did.

He glanced at the clock on the wall and relaxed further into the couch. He wouldn't have to start dinner for a little while yet.

He had just closed his eyes for a moment when a knock came at the door. He opened his eyes and groaned. He hauled himself off the couch and trudged down the hallway. It opened with a smooth hiss. "Oh," he said. "Hello, Mister Kaji."

The unshaven man grinned, "Hey, Shinji. It's been a little while, huh?"

Shinji nodded, "Um, yeah. Before the last angel, I guess."

"I was away on business for a couple weeks. Is Katsuragi in?"

"No," Shinji answered with a shake of his head. "She's still at work. She should be back soon, though." Remembering his manners, he stepped aside, "Do you want to wait for her?"

"Thanks," Kaji said, stepping inside. As he sat down on the sofa, he looked around. "Judging by the fact that she's not latched onto me, I assume Asuka's out."

"Yeah, she's at a friend's." He sat in the recliner. "Will you be staying for dinner, Mister Kaji?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, I'll actually be taking Katsuragi out."

That was news to Shinji, "Oh. She didn't mention that when I saw her this morning."

Kaji winked conspiratorially, "She doesn't know yet. I thought I'd surprise her."

Shinji nodded his understanding. They sat quietly for a few minutes. Finally, he set his jaw firmly and cleared his throat. "Mister Kaji, could I ask you for some advice?"

A look of genuine surprise came over Kaji's face for a second, "Course you can, Shinji. Why me though?"

"Well," Shinji muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm not sure who else I can ask. And besides, you seem to understand women."

The scruffy man chuckled at that, "As well as any man could ever hope to understand women, I suppose. What's on your mind?"

Shinji looked down at the floor, "Well, it's…" he trailed off, uncertain how to continue.

"I think I know," the older man said with a broad grin. "It's a certain redheaded Eva pilot, isn't it?"

"I…how did you know?"

Kaji arched an eyebrow, "I'm very observant, Shinji. Even if I wasn't it, wouldn't be too hard to spot that you kids care for each other."

"That's just the thing, though," Shinji said. "Sometimes I think Asuka likes me, but then she turns around and acts like she hates being near me." Kaji nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Misato says that she's had a tough life and I just need to try to understand her."

"Katsuragi means well, but she's always been terrible at giving advice," Kaji said. "Shinji, I know quite a bit about Asuka's past, and I know a little bit about yours." Shinji watched him curiously. "It's true that she's had a tough life, but I think if there's anyone who can understand and relate to that, it's you."

Shinji scratched his cheek, "So what do you think I should do?"

"Honestly, Shinji, I think you should just talk to her and ask her out. I know Asuka. She's a complicated girl, but I don't think she'll turn you down when you lay it out there for her."

"You…you really think so?"

"I do," Kaji offered a reassuring smile.

Shinji smiled nervously, "Thanks, Mister Kaji."

"Any time, Shinji.'

The sound of the door opening drew their attention. "I'm home," Misato's voice called from the hallway.

Kaji stood up with a smirk, giving Shinji a pat on the shoulder as he walked past him. "Welcome home, Katsuragi."

#

* * *

#

When Shinji woke up in the morning, he was shocked to find Misato sitting in the kitchen with a tired smile. She took a swig of beer, "Good morning, Shinji. Have a good night?"

"It was okay," he said, dropping some bread into the toaster. "Quiet. How was dinner with Mister Kaji?"

She dropped her gaze down to the table, her smile hitching a little higher, "It was…nice. Very nice." She watched Shinji sit down with his plate of toast. "So what did you and him talk about before I got here?"

Shinji managed to not drop his toast in surprise, though it was a near thing. "Just, um, stuff."

"Good stuff?"

Shinji shrugged. He started to say something, but the sound of the front door opening distracted him. He visibly tensed as Asuka strolled into the room.

Misato hid her knowing smile behind her beer can.

#

* * *

#

"I just don't get why you had to drag us here so early," Shinji complained. "Misato said they wouldn't need us for hours."

Asuka rolled her eyes, "Did you have anything better to do today?"

"Well, no, but we don't exactly have anything to do here until the synch test."

Asuka watched him out of the corner of her eye, "What's wrong, Third? Bored? Am I not good enough company for you?"

"What? No, I just don't know what we're going to do for five hours."

She shot him a sultry glance, "Oh, I'm sure we'll think of something."

Shinji coughed and sputtered as his face turned red.

Asuka burst out laughing, "Mein Gott, Third, you are way too easy."

He just stared at his shoes as they wandered through the corridors. As they rounded a corner, he looked up and gazed thoughtfully at the giant NERV emblem on the wall as they passed it. He looked at the girl next to him as she hummed quietly to herself. He took a deep breath, "Hey, Asuka."

She fell quiet and turned to face him, "Hmm?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately," he said slowly, carefully choosing his words.

"That's surprising," she said with a playful smirk.

Shinji chuckled nervously, pushing a hand through his hair, "Yeah."

An awkward silence. "You've been thinking and…" she prompted.

Shinji winced at the momentary lapse. "Well, you see, I was kind of wondering if…" he took another deep breath.

Just as he opened his mouth to finish, a soft voice cut him off, "Excuse me." Rei stood behind them. Her hair was laden with LCL and she was still clad in her plugsuit.

Shinji realized that he and Asuka had stopped walking and were blocking the hallway. He stepped out of the way. "Sorry, Ayanami."

As Rei stepped past them, Asuka shot her a curious glance. "Did you finish the activation test already?"

Rei studied the redhead dispassionately, "Yes. There were no problems. Unit-00 is ready for deployment."

"So are we getting the synch test out of the way early?" Asuka looked hopeful.

"No," Rei replied. "The synch test hasn't been moved up. It is still scheduled for five hours from now."

"Great," Asuka mumbled.

Rei, assuming that the conversation was over, started to squeeze past them.

"So where are you going now?" Shinji and Rei both whipped their heads around to look at Asuka. Did she really just show an interest in Ayanami's activities?

"I will…return to my apartment until my presence is required here again."

"Screw that," Asuka said. "You're going to hang out with us until it's time for the test."

Shinji took a step back in shock. Rei's jaw actually dropped for a moment. "That will not be necessary," she said, recovering from her surprise. "I do not wish to intrude on your private time with Pilot Ikari."

It was Asuka's turn to have her jaw drop. "Our private time? Wondergirl, if I wanted private time with the Third, we wouldn't be wandering the halls of NERV."

Shinji was thankful that neither of the girls was paying attention to him. They didn't notice the frown that formed on his face.

Rei tilted her head to one side, "I suppose that is logical." She paused thoughtfully, "Very well. I shall accompany you if you wish me to." She touched her hand to the sleeve of her plugsuit. It came away with a faint sticky sound. "If it is all the same to you however, I wish to take a shower first."

"That's fine," Asuka said with a shrug. "We'll be in the cafeteria."

"I will meet you there shortly." With a quick nod, she stepped past them and headed in the direction of the locker rooms.

Shinji stared blankly at the redhead.

She arched an eyebrow, "What are you looking at, Third?"

"Uh, nothing, it's just…did you really just ask Ayanami to hang out with us?"

"And? You're the one who's always saying I should give her a chance."

"I know, I just didn't think you'd ever listen to me."

Asuka shrugged and walked away, leaving Shinji to catch up. She cast a sidelong glance at him, "What was it you were saying? Before Wondergirl showed up?"

Shinji bit his lip, "Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it."

She watched him curiously, but decided to drop it.

#

* * *

#

"Where the hell is Wondergirl?" Asuka drummed on the table impatiently. "We've been here for half an hour already." She and Shinji were seated at a small table in NERV's main cafeteria. With the lone exception of the two pilots, the large room was empty.

"I don't know," Shinji said. He looked over at the cafeteria door. "You think she's okay?"

Shinji obviously didn't notice that the girl's heart wasn't actually in the complaint. She was more complaining more out of habit than anything else. She was distracted by a nagging sense of…something. "I'm sure she's fine," she said with a roll of the eyes. "I think it's more likely that she blew us off."

"I guess," he conceded with a sigh.

"Hmph. Figures the one time I try to be nice to her, she leaves us hanging." It felt like she was forgetting something, she realized finally. Whatever it was danced at the edges of her memory, tantalizing her with glimpses of recollection

"Well, it could be worse," he said.

"How's that?" It was this barely remembered whatever that had made her get to NERV so unreasonably early in the first place. It was what drove her to invite the First to hang out with them. She pinched the bridge of her nose. She idly wondered if this was what it felt like to slowly slip into insanity.

Shinji shrugged halfheartedly, "I don't know, but in the grand scheme of things, getting ditched by Ayanami doesn't seem too bad."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a loud _bang_ resonated through the base. A split second later, the lights went out, bathing the cafeteria in darkness. "Well that's annoying," Asuka commented wryly.

Shinji _hmm_ed in agreement. They sat quietly for a minute, waiting for the lights to come back on. Then another minute. Something was wrong, "Shouldn't there be backup systems or something in case of a power failure?"

"Yeah," Asuka said, a hint of concern in her voice. "We should probably go see what's going on." She pushed her chair back from the table and stood up.

She heard, rather than saw, Shinji follow suit. "Good idea," he said.

They carefully picked their way across the cafeteria and into the hallway. The corridor was dimly lit by weak battery-powered emergency lights recessed into the ceiling. "Hey, Shinji?"

"Y-yeah, Asuka?"

She felt the corners of her mouth twitch upward in spite of the worrisome situation, "Never say 'it could be worse' again."

He grinned, "Right."

They had to stop at a directory sign to figure out where the nearest stairwell was. Headquarters was so big that it just made sense to use the elevators, so neither of them had ever really bothered to make note of things like the stairs. Asuka leaned forward and squinted at the sign before emitting a frustrated groan, "Damn it. Shinji you read this. I have enough trouble with the kanji when I can actually see what I'm reading."

Shinji leaned in to decipher the poorly illuminated symbols. A second later, he pointed to their right. "That way, then turn left." He very carefully controlled his voice so that Asuka couldn't possibly imagine any trace of gloating on his part at her inability to read the sign.

She nodded and took off at a brisk jog in the direction he had indicated. "Right." She glanced over her shoulder, "What are you waiting for, baka? We've got to get to Command Center."

He caught up with her just as she shouldered through the door to the staircase. The large B-10 painted on the wall told them they were ten floors away from their destination. They set off, all but sprinting down the stairs, trying not to trip in the red glow of the emergency lights.

As they hit the landing for B-16, Asuka felt herself slowing down. Her head was pounding. She grabbed the railing with one hand and clutched the side of her head with the other, doubling over with the pain. Shinji was by her side in an instant, "What's wrong?"

She tried to straighten up. When that didn't work, she forced herself to look up at him, "I…I don't know. It just…" She trailed off as her vision began to swim before her eyes.

Shinji managed to grab her as she collapsed to the floor. "Shit," he whispered. "Asuka, can you hear me?" She didn't answer, and Shinji brought a hand up to the top of his head, balling his fist up in his hair. This was not good. He stood up. "Can anybody hear me? I need some help here."

His voice echoed dully around the staircase, but nobody answered. He stared down at the unconscious girl on the floor and muttered a stream of curses under his breath. He looked around frantically, trying to figure out what to do.

Then, just as suddenly as she had collapsed, Asuka sat up. Her eyes were wide and she was breathing heavily, but she was awake. "Shinji?"

Shinji sighed in relief and dropped to one knee, "Oh, god. Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine. I just…I don't know. I'm okay." She rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her palms. She looked up and studied the darkened stairwell. "Right," she whispered. "Ninth."

"Huh?"

She shook her head, "Nothing." She pushed herself to her feet. "Let's go."

Shinji stepped in front of her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Asuka, I think you should maybe take a minute and sit down."

He expected any number of reactions to that. He wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if she yelled at him, hit him, or flat out ignored him. He even would have been able to accept it if she had listened to him and sat down. What did happen was nowhere near his list. She offered a weak grin and laid a hand over his on her shoulder. "Shinji," she said softly. "I'm fine. Really."

He gave a slow nod and stepped out of her way. She flashed him a grateful smile and took off down the stairs. Shinji followed, more confused than ever.

#

* * *

#

In a random elevator in NERV HQ, Ryoji Kaji sighed as he sat down and leaned against the wall. He really hoped they got the power restored soon, because he did not enjoy the idea of spending an extended period of time in a stalled elevator. He wished Katsuragi were here. They could at least find a way to pass the time. He sighed again and settled in for the long haul.

#

* * *

#

Misato had never heard the Command Center so quiet before. Usually, it was alive with the hum of computers and techs calling out readings as they darted back and forth. As it was, there was only the faint and distant hum of the MAGI computers and the occasional, muted nervous whisper of the techs.

She was decidedly not cool with the current state of things. The fact that Ritsuko was adamant that it was impossible for the power to completely fail like this didn't help. This had to be a coordinated cyberattack, and an enormously sophisticated one at that.

She looks over at her college friend, who took a moment to light a fresh cigarette. "I don't like this, Rits. "

The bottle blonde's eyebrows lifted slightly, "Didn't we just finish talking about this?"

Misato crossed her arms and chewed on her tongue, "We did. I just have a really bad feeling. I don't like standing around doing nothing."

Ristuko frowned, "You don't think this is an angel attack, do you?"

"That would be devastating," she answered, head snapping up. "Do you think they could understand our systems well enough to do something like that?"

"It's hard to say," Ritsuko said, taking a drag from her cigarette. "It's unlikely, but with the MAGI in standby mode, we can't rule it out."

Misato frowned, "As always, Rits, you've managed to put my mind well at ease." She made no effort to hide the sarcasm in her voice. She paused, "I don't suppose we can get the Evas prepped with our systems down, can we?"

The doctor glanced up at the command dais, where Commander Ikari sat with Fuyutsuki standing behind him. "You'd have to get the Commanders to approve that."

"Back me up?" Misato tossed a lopsided grin at her friend.

Ritsuko nodded.

"Good." The raven haired woman turned her attention up to the Commanders, "Commander Ikari."

"What is it, Captain?" Ikari's voice was as level as ever.

"I believe it would be prudent to prepare the Evas to sortie."

"That would be quite an undertaking with the systems down," Fuyutsuki commented.

"I know, sir," Misato replied. "But the level of coordination required to bring our systems down is not inconsiderable."

"You think an angel is responsible?" The Vice Commander sounded dubious.

"It seems like too real of a possibility to ignore."

"Doctor Akagi, you agree with the Captain's assessment?"

Ritsuko nodded, "I do, Commander."

Ikari nodded. "I do as well." He stood up. "Prepare Evangelion Units 00, 01, and 02 for sortie." His voice easily carried across the Command Center.

There was only a moment of hesitation before the staff's training took over and they set about their tasks. Misato looked vaguely surprised, "That was easier than I expected."

She spent the next couple minutes feeling somewhat useless as she watched techs running around to get the Evas ready. There would be no need for tactical decisions for a while yet.

Maybe five minutes after the commander gave the order, Misato heard someone running toward the Command Center. A plugsuit clad Rei rounded the corner at full speed, coming to a stop a few feet away from Misato. Her wet hair and the suds lathered into it suggested that she had been in the shower when the power failed. "Captain Katsuragi. I came as soon as I was able. I am sorry that it took so long for me to get here."

Misato waved off her apology, "It's fine, Rei. We're getting the Evas prepped, just in case it turns out an angel's responsible for the blackout. It'll be a while before they're ready, though."

The pale girl nodded, "I see. Have Pilots Ikari and Sohryu arrived yet?"

Misato shook her head, "No. Why would they be here already? Are then on base?"

"I encountered them on my way to the locker rooms after the activation test. I was to meet them in the cafeteria after I took a shower."

"You were going to…hang out with Shinji and Asuka?" The way she said it left no doubt that Misato was having trouble wrapping her head around the concept.

"Pilot Sohryu was quite insistent."

Misato didn't even know what to say to that. Thankfully, she was saved from thinking of something by the sound of running from the hall. Shinji and Asuka burst into the Command Center. "Glad you guys are here." She quickly explained what was going on and sent them to get changed into their plugsuits.

#

* * *

#

Shinji took a deep, steadying breath as he resettled his grip on Unit-01's butterfly controls. Halfway through the Evas' preparations, Hyuga burst into the Command Center and confirmed that there was indeed an angel bearing down on them.

So, having some idea of what they were facing, the Children were deployed. Now, out on the surface, Shinji glanced at the batteries' countdown timer. Three and a half minutes of power left. Peering around a building, he got his first good look at the Ninth Angel. It was making its way to the center of the city.

He opened a line to Asuka and Rei, "So what's the plan?"

In the small holographic window to his left, he saw Asuka frown thoughtfully. "I'm almost in position," she said. "On my mark, we'll all move in. There's no way it'll be able to stand up to all of our A.T. fields."

"And we have it surrounded, so it'll probably be confused," Shinji added.

"Exactly." Asuka sounded rather proud of her plan. "Sound good?"

"Yeah," Shinji muttered.

"I have no objections," Rei's monotone affirmed.

"Right then," Asuka growled. "Three..two…one…mark."

In perfect unison, all three Evangelions jumped out from behind their cover and opened fire with their pallet guns. As expected, the shots were ineffective, impacting harmlessly on its A.T. Field. It did, however, get the Angel's attention. The beast stopped walking and the giant eyes covering its body, which had been looking in the direction it was walking, snapped back to stare at them.

Asuka stared down the giant spider, "Let's kill this thing."

Before any of them could act, the eye closest to Unit-02 narrowed. A jet of orange liquid shot out of the pupil and hit the red Eva in the face. The armor plating began to bubble and steam.

Asuka shouted in a mixture of surprise and pain as Unit-02 stumbled backwards. She bumped into a building and fell to the ground. The jet of acid tracked her movements.

Shinji dropped his gun, "Asuka!" He took off sprinting in the direction of Unit-02. As soon as he was in range, he dove to put himself between Asuka and the jet. Choking back a scream as he felt the acid burning away the Eva's armor, he focused on projecting his A.T. Field against the Angel's. "Rei, I'm countering its A.T. Field. Hit it."

"Yes." Rei opened fire, riddling the angel's body with Eva-scale bullets.

Shinji reached for Asuka's fallen rifle, lying a few meters away. Finally, he felt the Eva's fingers close around the rifle. He brought the gun to bear entirely on instinct, his conscious mind focused on maintaining his A.T. Field. He added his fire to Rei's.

The Angel let out a pitiful moan and collapsed, dead. Shinji dropped Asuka's rifle and turned his attention to the communication display. He could see Asuka breathing heavily with her eyes closed. "Asuka, are you okay?"

As her breathing returned to normal, she opened her eyes, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I just did _not_ expect that." She laughed, "But we won, so who cares?"

Shinji smiled, "We won."

#

* * *

#

The three Children sat on the same scenic overlook that Misato had taken Shinji to after he killed the Third Angel. The sun had gone down and, while the power in NERV HQ had been restored, Tokyo-3 proper was still dark. The sudden absence of light pollution made for quite a nice view of the stars.

Shinji sat up, tilting his head back to look at the stars. To his right, Asuka was laying on her back, arms folded behind her head. Rei sat to his left, gazing at the darkened city. They had been sitting in a peaceable silence for a few minutes.

Unsurprisingly, Asuka was the one to break it, not looking away from the stars. "It's pretty beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Shinji whispered. "It's too bad we never get to see it."

Asuka nodded in agreement.

Turning away from the night sky, Shinji looked at the city that had become his home. "It looks eerie like this."

Asuka shot him a quizzical look and pushed herself into a seated position. "What does?"

He nodded out toward the city, "Tokyo-3. It almost looks dead, doesn't it?"

"No," Rei's soft voice whispered, the first thing she had said since they arrived here. "Not dead, merely sleeping." She pointed out a series of pinpoints of light, vehicles pushing their way through the darkness of the city. "There are signs of life still."

Shinji smiled, "You're right."

Rei pushed herself to her feet, "As long as we are here to defend it, this city will not die."

Shinji and Asuka just stared at her thoughtfully.

"I am leaving now. Good night." She offered a polite bow to the seated teens and walked away.

They bade her goodbye and watched her disappear into the darkness. Shinji looked over at Asuka, marveling at the way the moonlight played on her skin. She turned to look at him and their eyes met. He felt his pulse quicken. "Asuka?" he whispered.

"Yeah," she breathed.

"There's something I want to talk to you about."

She tilted her head curiously, "Is this what you were started to say at NERV?"

"Yeah," he nodded nervously.

"I'm waiting," she said with a grin.

He gulped. "Well I've really enjoyed getting to know you since you got here." She cocked an eyebrow. "I mean, you haven't always given me an easy time, but for the most part it's been great." He scratched at the back of his neck. And I can feel myself about to start rambling so I'll just get to the point."

Asuka laughed, but didn't say anything.

He took a deep breath, "Look, Asuka, I care about you. A lot. If you're interested, I'd like to take you out on a date."

Asuka watched him with wide eyes, a faint smirk on her lips. "You're really terrible at asking a girl out, you know that, right?"

Shinji laughed weakly, trying desperately not to start hyperventilating, "Yeah, I know."

Her smirk became a full-scale smile, "Yes."

"Huh?"

She leaned forward and gave him a peck on the lips, "Baka. Yes, I'll go on a date with you."

Shinji felt himself blush. Suddenly glad that it was dark out, "Great."

She stood up. "Come on, baka. Let's go home."

#

* * *

#

Gendo Ikari watched the video playing on the tablet that Fuyutsuki had just handed him. It seemed, he noted with some distaste, that watching surveillance footage of teenagers was becoming an increasingly large part of his routine. This particular video showed his son entering the Second Child's bedroom and, after a brief exchange, climbing into bed with her.

He turned to his Vice Commander, handing the tablet back to him, "It seems the timeline contamination is reaching a critical point."

Fuyutsuki nodded, "This could become problematic if left unchecked for much longer. What do you want to do?"

Ikari's eyes narrowed as he considered his options. "Nothing yet, but put Section Two on high alert. Tell them that they may need to go to Condition Black at a moment's notice. I want daily reports."

"Of course, Commander. I'll see to it immediately."

Ikari smirked, a chilling, joyless movement, "It won't be long now, Fuyutsuki. Soon we'll have all the answers we want."

* * *

A/N: Hot damn. This one took a lot of doing. I had some pretty irritating writer's block while trying to get through the first half of this one. That and the fact that it's the longest chapter so far added up to a pretty long production period. Still, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, I must say. Let me know what you thought though. I really love to hear from you. As always, I'll be posting progress updates for the next chapter on my profile. Now, I'm going to throw this up on the web and go to sleep.

Oh, almost forgot…

Review Acknowledgements:

**Donderkind**: I try to be careful to make sure Asuka stays Asuka, even with the changes she's undergone. It's good to hear that I've managed that. I saw a pretty interesting opportunity in the Mt. Asama mission that still did what I needed it too. I'm glad you liked it. As for Pen Pen, I'll take comic relief wherever I can get it, and that bird is just a gold mine.

**Hotako Tomoe**: Well, you got your answer about Unit-01 taking Unit-02's place. I'll be honest, the explanation was originally in a scene in the last chapter that I took out for editing but completely forgot to put back in. I hope it didn't feel too shoehorned into this chapter. Glad the WAFF carried through. I can't promise to deliver it constantly, but there should be a few more doses coming through.

**Jack Daniels**: Feeling of dread is exactly what I was going for. I hope you find the next step in the scenario to be up to your standards.

**gunman**: Asuka is supposed to be a little OOC. Something isn't quite right with Ms. Sohryu. As for Misato's advice to Shinji, I actually agree with you, and that's something I always intended to deal with. The way I look at it, as much as Misato cares about Shinji, she isn't very good at giving advice and that sort of thing.

**KnightLance12**: For the first half of your review, about Misato's advice, see my response to gunman. On the topic of Spine!Shinji, I don't like the way he often gets portrayed either. Sure, he's got a lot of issues and he's extremely passive, but there are plenty of times where he stands up for himself. It's part of the reason Episode 11 is one of my favorites. He spends the entire time snarking at Asuka's bullshit, and it's hilarious.

**Melvis Monroe**: I mentioned it in my response to Hotako Tomoe, but the switch actually does have a reason, as I hinted at in this chapter. I hope that eased your concerns and I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.

**JHD1080**: Well, thank you. Welcome to the world of _Mitigation_. Hope this managed to keep your interest.


	5. Consideration

A/N: What's this? Another chapter? Less than a week after the last one? No, you're not going crazy. I was just super excited to get started on this chapter, and it just poured out for me.

Disclaimer: It occurs to me that I shouldn't post about my plans to steal intellectual property on the internet. My team is dead, I've been shot, and I'm on the run. Needless to say, _NGE_ is still not mine.

* * *

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion: Mitigation**_

Chapter 5: Consideration

* * *

Tuesday

The study of Kozo Fuyutsuki's apartment matched his background as a university professor perfectly. Haphazard stacks of books stood along most of the walls and practically encircled the hand-carved mahogany desk, in spite of the presence of a number of bookcases. The desk itself was laden mostly with folders bearing the NERV insignia and warnings in three languages marking the contents as Top Secret. A marble bust of Charles Darwin sat atop one of the bookcases.

Fuyutsuki sighed as he stepped into his sanctum and flipped on the light, bathing the room in a soft, warm glow. He strolled across the plush carpet and over to the cabinet he had converted into a makeshift bar. Fuyutsuki didn't generally consider himself one for drinking alone, but the unsettling power failure compounded by an angel attack practically demanded it. Opening the cabinet, he grimaced at the sight that greeted him. He would have sworn he had more than just a lone bottle of scotch in here. He shrugged. Beggars can't be choosers. Pouring himself a healthy serving, he carried the glass and bottle over to his desk.

He gently lowered himself into his desk char. He wasn't a young man anymore, and the days where he could just drop into a chair willy-nilly were long since gone. Taking a swig of the scotch, he logged into his desktop computer. He checked his emails first. None of the eighty-six new messages struck him as critically important and would keep until tomorrow.

Accessing the MAGI servers, he navigated to his personal folder and entered his password. The number of files that appeared was truly mind-boggling, though he easily found the ones he wanted. Three video windows appeared, ready to play. These videos represented, as far as he could tell, almost the entirety of Commander Ikari's basis for his response to the activation of Project Mitigation.

He brought the first one to full screen and hit play, draining the glass of scotch. He watched the Third Child kiss the Second in her sleep and pull her into a comforting embrace. He closed the window and poured himself another drink. The second window showed the footage of the Third yelling at the Second in the NERV pool. The final one was the tape of the Third climbing into the Second's bed.

As the last video finished, he took a contemplative sip from his glass. Ikari's response was necessary, of course. It was the only way to ensure that their painstakingly laid plans were not derailed. Two decades of work would be thrown out the window if nothing was done. The unspeakable things he had seen – things he had done – over the course of those years would be all for nothing. Even worse, the failure of their plan could very well clear the way for SEELE's scenario. The mere thought of the old men actually obtaining godhood disquieted him immensely.

So what was this lingering sense of doubt in the back of his mind?

His eyes fell upon the one item on his desk that did not serve a practical purpose. The simple silver picture frame stood next to the computer monitor. The four people in the photo stared back out at him, their expressions running the gamut from a small, content grin to exuberant joy. Fuyutsuki picked up the frame and studied the picture, a wistful smile forming. He carefully placed the frame back in its proper place and took another sip of scotch.

He would have to speak with Ikari in the morning.

#

* * *

#

Wednesday

His footsteps echoed dully as he quickly strode across sepulchral office. As usual, Ikari was seated behind his desk, hands folded in front of his face, looking rather intently at him as he approached the desk. No, that wasn't quite right; it was more like Ikari was looking _through_ him. The bearded commander was quite talented at making people feel insignificant.

Fuyutsuki stopped in front of the desk and waited for Ikari to acknowledge him. A handful of seconds later, he leaned back in his seat. "You have something to report, Fuyutsuki?"

The older man clasped his hands behind his back, "Section Two has acknowledged that they are prepared to go to Condition Black on your order. They can move in ten minutes after you give the word." He hesitated before continuing.

The commander noticed, "But?"

Fuyutsuki fought back a grimace, "I'm wondering if it would be best to rescind that order."

Ikari's eyebrow ticked upward a fraction of an inch. It was the biggest reaction Fuyutsuki had seen from the man since the activation test that hospitalized Rei. "Really? You think we should let all of our plans be destroyed."

"No, Commander," Fuyutsuki nearly flinched at the cold edge to the man's voice. "But I don't see why we need Section Two to go to Black."

"Very well, Fuyutsuki, I will play along. Why?"

"Condition Black is the order given when they're to bring in a target dead or alive."

"I am well aware of that." Ikari sounded almost amused. "I did not issue the order blindly. I am fully aware of NERV's procedures."

Fuyutsuki gulped, "I know that. What I meant was that Section Two can be…less than reliable when it comes to quick and easy asset recovery." He leaned against Ikari's desk. "And when things go wrong, they're perfectly happy to start shooting if we give them that option."

"Vice Commander, if you're just going to tell me things I already know, I'm going to have to order you to leave." Traces of frustration were beginning to leak into the commander's voice.

"Sending in Section Two at Condition Black is more likely to land us a corpse than a live prisoner. Are you really willing to accept that risk?" He didn't raise his voice at the younger man, as much as he wanted to.

"Completely," he replied, the tone of his voice fully under control again.

Fuyutsuki was stunned. "Really?"

"I will admit that I would prefer an interrogation, but all that really matters is that the threat to the scenario is dealt with."

Fuyutsuki's hands fell limply to his sides. His jaw dropped. "He's your son." The commander showed absolutely no reaction. "Yui's son."

Ikari's calm demeanor didn't even begin to crack, though his tinted glasses flashed dangerously, "He is a dire threat to our plans. We do not know what he is capable of and I will not waste resources because you expect me to have some pointless sentimental attachment to the boy. His presence is convenient, but hardly necessary."

Fuyutsuki's head dropped. This clearly wasn't working. He needed to try a different tactic. "Ikari, are we even certain that he is the one we want?"

"You've seen the evidence," he said slowly. "He kissed the Second in her sleep. He yelled at her in the NERV pool. He entered her room and climbed into bed with her."

"He's hardly the only one to exhibit atypical behavior since the activation."

"True," he conceded. "However, I am quite convinced that the rest of it has been the result of a chain reaction stemming from the Third Child's own aberrant behavior. He is changing things, changing those around him."

"Ikari…"

He pressed on, cutting off his subordinate, "You put up no objections when we first identified him as the culprit." The deadly edge in his voice sent a chill down the former professor's spine. "You said nothing when we stepped up surveillance on the Second Child in hopes of catching his efforts to tamper with the timeline. On the contrary, you were pushing to have him removed from the picture sooner."

Fuyutsuki stood stock still, his jaw clenched. "I didn't mean to have him killed. Just brought into custody."

Ikari paid him no mind, "And now that our actions have recognized the extent of his contamination before it could become catastrophic, you are losing your nerve. We are dangerously close to losing control of two pilots because of his actions. We can live with the loss of one pilot, even the Third. Two would be devastating."

Fuyutsuki's head dropped with a sigh. He suddenly felt every second of his fifty-nine years on this Earth. "I just can't help but wonder what Yui would say about this."

There was no response for a long moment. When Ikari did speak again, his voice was softer. Not friendly by any definition of the word, but he no longer sounded ready to murder his vice commander. "She would understand."

"Would she?" Fuyutsuki whispered with an arched eyebrow. "Sometimes I'm not certain of that anymore."

This time the silence stretched on for nearly a minute as Ikari carefully regarded the man in front of him. "Yui knew the importance of our work."

The vice commander once again met Ikari's gaze, looking him directly in the reflective lenses, "I pray that you're right."

Ikari leaned back in his chair, clearing growing bored with the conversation. "As I've said, we don't know what he is capable of. If he comes quietly, Section Two will bring him to us. If not, he will be killed." He stood up and strolled over to one of the offices giant windows. "There will be no more discussion of this matter. You're dismissed, Fuyutsuki."

Fuyutsuki turned on his heel and strode out of the office.

#

* * *

#

Thursday

Ryoji Kaji was enjoying a rare day off. Being a triple agent didn't leave a lot of room for free time, especially when you were infiltrating one of the most powerful organizations in the world. Add in a personal crusade like Kaji had, and downtime became an even more valuable commodity.

Needless to say, he fully intended to take complete advantage of this extraordinary fluke of his schedule. His morning had consisted of a very strict nothing but sitting in front of the television and watching whatever was on, which happened to be some mindless soap opera. It was glorious.

Around half past noon, he sat down for lunch, which consisted of a quickly thrown together sandwich. Then he dropped into his cushy recliner for some light reading. In a few hours, he would probably swing by Katsuragi's and see what she was up to.

Just as he was starting to get into his book, a knock at the door broke his focus. He thought about ignoring it. He sighed. As if that was an option. Nobody ever just dropped by to pay him a casual visit. This was probably something important.

As if to underline his line of thought, whoever it was knocked again. With another sigh, Kaji pushed himself off the recliner and stretched. He strode over to the door and peered through the peephole. There was nobody in sight.

That set the spy on edge. He was no stranger to dead drops and the like, but those never took place at his front door and he always knew that they were happening in advance. This had to be something bad. Purely on instinct, he reached for his gun. As long as he could help it, he was never out of arms' reach of a firearm, a necessary precaution considering his line of work.

He flipped of the safety and cracked open the door. There was no need to check the ammo. It was always loaded with a round chambered. Peering down the hallway, he didn't see anyone, not that that meant anything. He opened the door a little wider and checked the other direction. Still nobody. "Hello?" No answer.

Kaji frowned. Did someone really just ring and run? As he started to pull his head back inside, he noticed a manila envelope on the floor. It had his name written on the front in black marker – his given name. This was unusual in and of itself. Hardly anyone called him Ryoji. Practically everyone who knew him called him Kaji. Even Katsuragi, for all their history and their whatever the hell their relationship was now, just called him Kaji.

Keeping a firm grip on the gun, he knelt down and retrieved the envelope. He shut the door and secured all three locks. He sighed, looking curiously at the envelope. So much for his day off.

Dropping himself onto the couch, he ran his hand over his face. He studied the envelope carefully, turning it over in his hands. Besides his name on the front, it was completely unmarked and unadorned. He placed his gun on the coffee table and opened the brass fastener holding the envelope closed.

He carefully slid the contents out, discovering a thick sheaf of paper inside. Actually, he noted after closer inspection, the stack was made up of several smaller packets held together with paperclips.

With a weary sigh, he fumbled for his pack of cigarettes and lighter. Taking out and lighting one, he took a deep drag and held the smoke in his lungs. He let it out slowly, watching the wisps spread out and dissipate in the air. With the slowly burning cigarette dangling from his lips, he started leafing through the stack of papers.

Four hours later, Kaji had no clue how to feel as he stared at the now-read papers in front of him. To his left, an overflowing ashtray balanced on the arm of the sofa, a testament to the amount of stress this had placed on his shoulders. This was too perfect. The contents of the envelope hadn't answered all of his questions, but it was far more than he'd managed to learn by himself in the past fifteen years.

He couldn't make heads or tails of it. He knew that his spying was practically an open secret, tolerated only because he was still useful to everyone involved. So what was the purpose behind this unexpected gift? Was someone legitimately trying to help him with his crusade? That was obviously the conclusion he was supposed to reach.

Kaji wasn't able to simply accept that explanation, though. One didn't survive as a spy as long as he had without a healthy dose of paranoia. Maybe this was a trick, false information meant to draw him into a position where he could be dealt with without raising too many questions. Or perhaps someone wanted to torment him, to give him a glimpse of everything he had dedicated his entire adult life toward before sending a guy to perform brain surgery with a .22 caliber pistol.

The prospect left Kaji considerably more bothered than it would have just a few short months ago. It wasn't that he had a death wish before; he just didn't have anything to live for besides his quest for the truth. Now though? He thought of Katsuragi, of their freshly rekindled, more mature romance. He thought of Asuka and Shinji, and how the two seemed to look up to him for some reason that he could barely comprehend. No, Ryoji Kaji had plenty of reasons to keep living now.

And for that reason, the envelope and its veritable gold mine of information terrified him as much as it excited him.

He slid the papers back into the envelope and brought it into his bedroom. Pulling his dresser away from the wall, he dropped to one knee and pulled up a patch of carpet that was separate from the rest of the carpeting, revealing a heavy steel safe set into the floor. Entering the eight digit combination, he swung the door open.

The safe was perhaps half filled, mostly with important documents that he had procured over the last several years, though the documentation for maybe half a dozen false identities were in the mix. One never knew when it would be necessary to make a quick exit and disappear. He placed the envelope in with the rest of the documents and locked the safe. He replaced the patch of carpet and slid the dresser back into place. Good as new.

He grinned at his handiwork. He looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. Five-thirty. Kaji started getting dressed in something more presentable. It seemed like a good time to pay Katsuragi a visit. He didn't know if the papers were a trap or not, but damn it, he was going to live while he still could.

#

* * *

#

Kaji stared at the door in front of him. For a moment, he wondered if he should just go home. He was just here a couple days ago for basically the same reason, that is to say just for the sake of being there. There were some who would label his actions as desperate or clingy. He shook his head. She wouldn't think so. He raised his fist and knocked on the door, just below the plate that identified the apartment as M. Katsuragi's.

He heard a shout from inside. A couple seconds later, the sound of some soft footfalls carried through the door, followed by a dull thud. A half shouted curse and more footsteps. Kaji fought back a grin as the door opened. Katsuragi stood before him, rubbing her shin and muttering to herself.

Kaji smirked, "You okay there, Katsuragi?"

She straightened up, seeming surprised at his presence. "Yeah, I'm…"

She never finished her sentence as Kaji cupped her cheek and pulled her into a kiss. She moaned softly and draped her arms over his shoulders. His arms encircled her waist as they stumbled into the apartment without breaking the kiss. They kept moving backwards until her back hit the wall.

When they broke apart, Katsuragi smiled, breathing a little heavily. "Well hello to you too." She ran a hand through her hair. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Kaji shrugged, "What? Can't I just pay my favorite captain a visit?"

She arched an eyebrow, "Really? I'm your favorite captain?"

"Of course you are. Who else would it be?"

"Well," she said, crossing her arms playfully, "I seem to recall you having a certain fondness for a Captain Kirk when we were in college."

Kaji laughed. "Kirk didn't have your legs."

Katsuragi just winked in response and walked back to the living room, Kaji following close behind. "You'd better watch that talk around here. I'm probably going to have a hard enough time keeping Shinji and Asuka off of each other without you teaching him how to silver his tongue."

His head quirked to one side, "Hm?"

"Oh," she said. "I guess you wouldn't have heard. He asked her out after they killed the Angel."

"Did he?" Kaji felt a proud smile start to form. "Good for him. I knew she wouldn't say no."

"Yeah, I'm thrilled for them and all, but now I have to live with a whole new level of awkward." She shook her head with a chuckle. "I thought it was bad when they were dancing around each other. I was completely unprepared for the holding pattern they're in now."

Kaji gave her a questioning glance.

"They aren't both free until Saturday," she explained. "In the meantime, they have no idea how to act when they're around each other. It's a hugely uncomfortable in-between stage of their relationship. For me as much as them."

He nodded. "I imagine Asuka's pretty much fine. How's Shinji holding up?"

"He's freaking out, I think," she shrugged. "I don't think he has any clue what to do. He's been surprisingly good at not answering when I ask him about it though."

"I can try to talk to him," Kaji offered.

"If you think you can get him to," she shrugged. "Just try to keep in mind that I'd prefer to not live with two teenagers humping each others' brains out at all hours of the day."

He adopted an expression of false hurt, "Katsuragi, why would you even feel the need to mention such a thing?"

"Because I know you, and I'm quite familiar with the typical Kaji Date," she shot back with a wry grin. "It's scientifically designed to end with sex."

"Fair enough," he chuckled. "I suppose history does back you up there. I'll try to tone it down for him."

"Thanks," she said dryly. "Now are you going to tell me what really brings you here?"

He didn't answer for a moment as he took her hand in his. "I just wanted to see you."

"Kaji, if I didn't know better I'd say you were developing emotions beyond horniness."

He grinned, "Just for you."

She kissed him.

He kissed back.

When they broke apart half an hour later, they were both flushed and panting. Kaji excused himself to use the bathroom. He took the opportunity to surreptitiously glance around the apartment. He had absolutely no doubt that Commander Ikari had the apartment bugged. He had found upwards of eighty audio bugs in his own apartment, and he was just a Special Inspector who moonlighted as a spy. With two pilots and the Ops Director under one roof, he'd eat his shoes if this placed weren't wired out the ass.

His glance around the room didn't reveal any such bugs of course. NERV was many things, but careless was not one of them. They would be embedded in the drywall. Mixed in with the concrete. Hidden in light bulbs. Any number of a million places that nobody would ever find without highly specialized equipment. He shrugged as he flushed the toilet. He would just have to be careful with his phrasing for the next part.

He strolled back into the living room and sat down next to Katsuragi on the couch. He spent a moment trying to figure out how to start the conversation. Failing to come up with anything that would even remotely begin to segue appropriately, he decided to just go with it. "Do you remember my roommate from freshman year?"

Katsuragi started at the non sequitur. She looked at him, clearly confused. "Yeah, I think so." She frowned, trying to recall the name. "Tetsuo, right? The druggie? Where did that come from?"

Kaji stared at a stain on the carpet. He didn't answer her question. "Do you remember the time we found out where he stashed his pot?"

She furrowed her brow. "Yes," she finally said, drawing out the word slightly. "He hid it under your…"

"That's right," Kaji cut her off.

"Kaji, what's this about?"

He looked her square in the eye. "It's probably nothing," he said, trying to reassure her. "But I want you to promise me something." He paused, waiting until she nodded in agreement. "If something happens to me, I want you to go to my apartment. You'll find a safe in the same place Tetsuo kept his pot. There's something in there that you'll need to see."

"What do you think is going to happen to you?" She made no effort to hide the concern in her voice.

He smiled weakly, "Like I said, probably nothing, but you know me. I always like to have an emergency plan."

"Are you telling me how to find your will or something?"

"Or something," he shrugged.

Her shoulders slumped, "Fine. How am I supposed to open the safe?"

"The combination is the most important day of my life."

She opened her mouth, ready to press him for more information. She stopped when she recognized the look on his face. He wouldn't be providing her with any more information. "Okay," she said finally.

Kaji visibly relaxed. "Thank you."

She nodded, unsure of what to say. After a few seconds of trying to figure out something, he gave up and did the only thing that felt right in that moment. She lunged at him and pulled him into a soul searing kiss.

#

* * *

#

Friday

The strains of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony poured through the earbuds of Shinji's SDAT as he walked to school. The content grin on his face was as much a result of listening to his favorite piece as it was of his general mood the past few days. He had been smiling almost nonstop since Tuesday evening, as Misato was all too happy to point out at every opportunity.

For once, his guardian's teasing didn't bother him all that much. If anything, it had a tendency to make his expression brighten even more, which in turn prompted a new wave of teasing. It was a vicious cycle, he reflected with a chuckle.

He pulled out his earbuds and powered down the SDAT as he walked into the school. He navigated his way through the mass of students rushing to reach their classrooms before the bell rang. He slipped into class 2-A with a few minutes to spare, which, as it turned out, was lucky, as he was stopped by the lovely redhead seated by the door.

"Hey, baka Shinji," she called lightly, a faint smile turning up the corners of her mouth. "Did you remember to bring my lunch?"

"Yes, Asuka," he said, reaching into his bag and pulling out the meal he prepared for her.

"Thank you," she said smartly, pulling the box from his grip.

Shinji turned and made his way to his regular seat between Toji and Kensuke. He wasn't surprised that things between him and Asuka hadn't changed much in the past few days. In fact, he'd have been shocked if they had. The only thing that was different was that she didn't walk to school with him anymore.

She had been very matter-of-fact when she told him that she'd be walking with Hikari, at least for the next few days. It wouldn't be proper, she had said, for them to be spending that much time together if they were going to be dating. At least not before they'd even had their first official date.

Shinji had no idea where Asuka got these social requirements from. He didn't dare to ask either, mostly because he was sure that she made half of them up to make his life more difficult. And he definitely didn't mention that if walking to school together before their first date was improper, then it was downright scandalous that they lived together. There was no way such a thing would end well for him.

"Hey, Shinji," the sound of Kensuke's voice snapped him out of his reverie. "Toji and I were just talking about going to the arcade tomorrow, you want to come?"

"Tomorrow?" He rubbed the back of his neck, "I actually can't. I kind of already have plans."

"Really?" Toji had leaned forward, his curiosity piqued. "What are you doing?"

"Come on, Toji," Kensuke admonished his friend. "It's probably something top secret with NERV that he can't talk about."

On some level, Shinji knew that he should just shut up and let his friends go right on thinking that. Unfortunately, he didn't listen to himself. "Um, no, actually. I have a date."

Toji slugged him in the shoulder, "Way to go, Shin-man. About time you used some of that pilot cred."

"That's awesome," Kensuke enthused.

Toji leaned in conspiratorially, "So who's the lucky lady?" Kensuke leaned in as well to hear the answer.

Shinji shrank down a little in his seat. He hesitated for a moment before answering. "Asuka."

"Oh," his friends said simultaneously.

Shinji sighed inwardly and started counting down in his head.

Three…

Two…

One…

"WHAT?" The shout came in stereo from either side of him.

The entire class wheeled around to stare at the source of the disturbance. Shinji gave Asuka a sheepish grin as she looked at him curiously. She rolled her eyes and turned back around. One by one, the rest of the class lost interest in the shout and faced forward again.

"Will you two keep it down," Shinji hissed.

He zoned out their stunned rambling as he felt a familiar sensation in his chest. Great, the panic was back. It had been coming and going in waves ever since Asuka had agreed to go out with him. He was running out of time and he still had no idea what he was going to do. No. Freaking. Idea.

He gripped the sides of his desk as he fought to keep from freaking out in the middle of class.

At the front of the room, Hikari cast one last, curious glance over her shoulder. "I wonder what that was about."

"I bet I know," Asuka said, more to herself than to her pigtailed friend.

Hikari turned to look at her, "Hm?"

Asuka sighed, "I'll tell you at lunch, okay?"

#

* * *

#

"So," Hikari said, sitting down next to the redhead, lunch in hand, "are you going to tell me now?"

Asuka frowned in confusion. "Tell you what?"

"What happened in class this morning. You said you thought you knew what it was about."

"Oh," she said. She'd completely forgotten about that. She cursed under her breath. She should have known better than to expect Hikari to forget about that by the time lunch rolled around. Seriously, the girl had a mind like a steel trap. Once something got in there, it never came out.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. It wasn't that she didn't want Hikari to know. Her friend just had a very…distinct way of showing excitement. "I'm going out with Shinji tomorrow."

Hikari gasped.

"Don't," Asuka warned, knowing what would be coming next.

The class rep pressed her hands against her mouth. She started bouncing in her seat with excitement.

Asuka sighed. The poor girl was going to explode if she didn't let it out. "Okay, go ahead."

Hikari squeed. She actually squeed. If someone were to transcribe the noise she made, it would literally be written as "squee." She threw her arms around her friend in an excited hug. "OhmygodAsukathat'ssoamazingIknewyoutwolikedea chother…"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down," she said, prying the excited girl off of her. "Breath. I have no clue what you're saying."

Hikari took a deep breath. "When did it happen? How did it happen?"

Asuka explained, very briefly, the fight against the Angel and their side trip to the scenic overlook. Hikari promptly declared it the most adorable thing she'd ever heard. She spent the next fifteen minutes grilling the Second Child on basically everything she could think of.

Lunch was almost over, but Hikari had one last question. "What are you going to wear?"

Asuka's eyes widened, "I…haven't even thought about it."

Hikari looked like she was about to start bouncing again. "Oh, Asuka, let me help you pick something out. You can bring some outfits to my house tomorrow. It'll be so much fun."

"Okay," she said, deciding it was easier to just relent than to resist. Besides, she reasoned, it might actually be kind of fun.

Finally, just in time for lunch to end, Hikari was satisfied.

#

* * *

#

Shinji walked home from school, alone once again. He had finally shaken Toji and Kensuke a couple blocks away from the school. His friends were torn between being happy for him and horrified at his choice. In the end they decided that maybe it was okay, as long as he was acting of his own free will. He assured them, mainly Kensuke, that he was not being mind controlled in any way. That seemed to satisfy them and they parted ways.

That suited Shinji just fine. He needed all the time he could get to figure out where the hell he was going to take Asuka tomorrow. He stared down at his feet, his hand flexing unconsciously as he tried to think.

He was distracted by the sound of an engine revving and a voice calling over it. "Hey, Shinji."

He looked up in time to see Kaji roll to a stop next to him in a flashy sports car. "Kaji?"

The scruffy man gestured in to the car, "Hop in, I'll give you a ride."

Shinji opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he waved off the thanks. As he accelerated down the street, he cast a sidelong glance at the boy, "So a little bird told me that you took my advice."

"Yeah," Shinji said, a toothy grin spreading across his face. "You were right. She didn't say no."

Kaji laughed. "I told you. So where are you taking her?"

He looked down at his shoes, "Um…well…"

"Don't know yet?" He chuckled, "Not to worry, Shinji my boy. You're about to get a crash course in the glory that is a Ryoji Kaji Superdate."

Shinji's only response to the man's declaration was a blank stare.

Kaji's smile betrayed his excitement about such a crash course. "Shinji, there are men who would kill for the information I'm about to give you."

And Kaji talked. And talked. And talked some more. Despite his initial uncertainty, Shinji found himself wishing he had a pen. He started with itinerary. "When you go to dinner, you're going to want to spring for something really fancy," he said. "Resist that urge. It takes too long and puts way too much pressure on the conversation for a first date. Go for somewhere nice but simple. There's a good place a couple blocks from Katsuragi's, down on Sixth Street that I'd recommend.

"You could go to the fair, but that's kind of cliché and, honestly, Asuka would hate it. You could do worse than dinner and a movie, so that's a good standby. My personal favorite though? Carriage ride through the park. It's quiet and intimate, but there's enough going on to distract from the conversation if you need it. I'd suggest you go with that. Asuka loves horses."

Shinji stared at Kaji as the man navigated the streets of Tokyo-3 and told him how to woo girls. After the itinerary, he made a few suggestions about how to dress. Then he turned to the atmosphere to set.

"You need to be attentive, but not overbearing. I think you'll be fine with that. Friendly, but a little mysterious. If she asks where you're going, tell her it's a surprise. But do you know what the most important thing is, Shinji?"

Shinji shook his head, too overwhelmed to actually say anything.

"Be confident," Kaji said with a grin. "Go out there with the attitude that you're out on the town with the most beautiful girl in the world because you asked her out and she said yes."

The car came to a stop, "Now, I think that's about everything you need to know. Think you're okay now?"

Shinji looked out the window, shocked to find that they were stopped outside of the apartment building. He glanced at the clock and his eyes widened. What should have been a five minute drive had taken over half an hour. He never even noticed that Kaji had started driving around the block while he delivered his lesson. "Yeah," he said, completely sincerely. "Thank you."

Kaji patted him on the shoulder, "Any time, Shinji. Knock her dead tomorrow. You'll do great."

Shinji thanked him again and got out of the car. He started to walk toward the building, but Kaji called him again. "One more thing."

Shinji turned around, "Yes?"

Kaji tossed him something through the passenger-side window. "Make sure you bring this with you. Can't be too careful. But if Katsuragi asks, you didn't get it from me." He threw the car in drive and was gone before Shinji had a chance to respond.

The confused boy looked at the item Kaji had thrown him. He flushed a deep red as he recognized the foil square for what it was.

#

* * *

#

Saturday

Shinji moved around the kitchen preparing breakfast, humming quietly to himself. Today was the day, and for the first time all week, he didn't feel his enthusiasm tampered by his worry about planning a nice evening for him and Asuka.

Oh, sure, he was still terrified that he would make some kind of unforgiveable mistake that would ruin the night, but Kaji's crash course had settled a lot of his nerves. Now he was almost too giddy with excitement to give his fear a second thought.

"Well you sure seem in a good mood," Misato's voice commented from behind him.

Shinji started. He hadn't even heard her enter the room. "I guess so. I'm just excited."

"I'm sure," she commented wryly. "Just try not to get too excited, okay? It wouldn't be good for any of us if we had a pregnant pilot on our hands."

"M-Misato," Shinji stammered, his cheeks burning. His mind briefly flashed to the condom Kaji had given him and his blush intensified. "You know we wouldn't…"

"I know, Shinji," Misato laughed. "You're good kids and I trust you." She walked over and pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm really happy for the two of you."

Returning the hug, Shinji smiled, "Thank you, Misato."

She pulled away just as Asuka passed by the kitchen.

"Good morning, Asuka," Shinji called out.

She stopped and looked into the kitchen. She smiled. "Morning, Third. Misato."

Shinji cocked his head to the side, "Um, Asuka? Why do you have an armful of clothes?"

She looked down at the sizable bundle of clothing in her arms and turned slightly, blocking Shinji's view with her body. "Because, Third, I'm going to Hikari's so she can help me figure out what to wear."

"Oh," he said. "Okay."

"What time are you going to pick me up?"

Shinji blinked in confusion, "Huh?"

"Baka," she rolled her eyes. "It's a first date. The boy has to pick up the girl. That's just the way it's done. You can't do that if we're already in the same place. So what time will you pick me up from Hikari's?"

In remarkable display of self control, Shinji managed not to sight at yet another of Asuka's more-than-likely-imagined social rules. "Um…seven."

Asuka nodded, apparently satisfied with that answer. "Good. I'll see you then." She walked off in the direction of the front door. "Later, Misato. Bye, Shinji." She sounded positively buoyant as she left the apartment.

"Well," Misato remarked, "I don't think I've ever seen her that happy." She turned back toward Shinji, who was standing in front of the stove with a big, goofy grin on his face. "Or you, for that matter."

Shinji blinked as he snapped back to reality. "What?"

Misato chuckled, "Nothing, Romeo." She gestured to the pot on the stove, "You'd better get that before it burns."

"Gah," Shinji spun around and grabbed the pot, hoping to salvage at least some of his breakfast.

Misato smirked as she walked out of the kitchen. This was way too much fun.

#

* * *

#

As Kozo Fuyutsuki stood in an elevator with his back ramrod straight and a tablet computer in his hand, he began to understand Captain Katsuragi. Not completely, mind you, just her seemingly interminable need to drink. Something about this place simply drove a person to the bottle in a desperate attempt to preserve some shred of sanity. He wished to god he had his scotch with him. The elevator dinged open, and he strode out purposefully, his shoes clicking sharply on the floor.

Reaching the large doors to the commander's office, he took a deep breath to compose himself. He pushed the door open and entered. As always, the trip from the door to the desk was long, awkward, and uncomfortable. Just like the commander intended.

When Fuyutsuki was halfway across the room, Ikari deigned to notice his presence. He looked up and pushed his glasses up his nose. "You have something?" He placed his hands in front of his face.

"I do," he replied, finally reaching the desk. "I received the latest report from Section Two."

"The First and Second?"

Fuyutsuki nodded, "Yes, Commander." He handed the tablet to Ikari.

The commander took it, his face unreadable. Fuyutsuki assumed he was reading, since his eyes were obscured by the ever present tinted glasses. After about a minute, he looked up at his vice commander, "It's happening tonight?"

Clasping his hands behind his back, Fuyutsuki nodded. "Yes, sir. Our surveillance suggests at 1900 hours."

Ikari nodded minutely. "We cannot delay any longer then. Give the order. Send Section Two to Condition Black. Bring in the First Child."

Fuyutsuki bit the inside of his lip as he snapped of a salute. "Yes, sir. It will be done." He turned on his heel and left the office.

As he approached the elevator, he held his cell phone in his hand, ready to make the call. He looked at the phone's clock. It was only a little past five. It would take ten minutes to mobilize Section Two. He had some time before he had to make the call.

The phone went back into his pocket as the elevator doors slid closed.

#

* * *

#

It took the better part of an hour for Fuyutsuki to get home. As soon as he was inside, he went straight to his study and poured a glass of scotch. He took a sip, savoring the smooth feel of the liquor. Yeah, Katsuragi was definitely onto something.

With heavy sigh, he sat down behind his desk and checked the time. Six-twelve. No more putting it off. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed the director of Section Two.

Director Sergei Olev answered on the second ring, "Hello, Vice Commander. What can I do for you?"

Fuyutsuki suppressed a shudder. He never liked dealing with Olev. His voice was too…level. It was almost like talking to Rei, except where Rei's tone gave the impression of complete indifference; he made it feel like he was running through every possible way he could leave you dead by the end of the conversation. Most of the time, Fuyutsuki knew, it was because he was doing exactly that. It was an admirable trait for the leader of what amounted to NERV's secret police, but it made for a terrible conversationalist.

"I've just spoken to the Commander," Fuyutsuki said. "He's given the order. Go to Black Three."

There was a brief pause over the line before the director responded, "Understood. Will there be anything else, Vice Commander?"

"No. Alert me when it's done."

The faintest hint of smugness found its way into his voice, "Very well, sir. It will be done shortly." He hung up with a click.

Fuyutsuki had no doubt that, barring some kind of extraordinary circumstance, Olev would follow through with his promise. The man was former KGB and extremely good at his job. The only thing Section Two didn't do well under his leadership was asset recovery. That meant that Shinji Ikari was as good as dead.

"Damn it," Fuyutsuki muttered, banging his fist on the desk. He drained the glass of scotch. "Damn it," he whispered again, burying his face in his hands.

When he looked up again, the shining silver of the picture frame on his desk caught his eye. He reached out a shaking hand and picked it up. He felt tears well up in his eyes as he looked at the people in the photo.

Gendo Ikari stood at the left of the frame, a content grin on his face. Next to him, in the center of the frame, was Yui, smiling widely. In her arms she held a young Shinji, a look of pure glee on his face. On the right of the image, a much younger Fuyutsuki laughed as he looked at baby Shinji, who had reached out and grabbed a handful of his sleeve.

Fuyutsuki smiled sadly. He set the frame down on the desk. "I'll make this right, Yui. Somehow."

He stared blankly at the picture for a moment, completely at a loss for what to do. He picked up his phone again. Before he even fully realized what he was doing, he had dialed a number.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end of the line sounded uncertain.

He took a deep breath, "Section Two has been moved to Condition Black Three."

A few seconds of silence followed the declaration, "When?"

He looked at the clock on his wall, "Four minutes ago."

There was no response, just the click of a disconnecting line.

Fuyutsuki leaned back in his seat and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at the picture, "It's not much, Yui, but it's all I can do."

#

* * *

#

It was times like this that Shinji wished he could whistle. It just seemed like an appropriate thing to do in when you were this good of a mood. He had, per Kaji's advice, abandoned his usual school uniform. In its place, he donned a navy blue silk button up and a pair of khakis. In all honesty, he wasn't too sure about the look, but Misato had assured him that it was very dashing.

He'd left the apartment about fifteen minutes ago, and was maybe halfway to Hikari's house. He would probably be a few minutes early, but Shinji fully expected that Asuka would make him wait for a few minutes anyway, so the way he looked at it, it didn't really matter.

As he made the left that would put him on a straight shot to Hikari's house, a black SUV whipped around the corner, tires screeching. Shinji stopped and stared as it skidded to a stop ten yards away from him. Four Section Two agents piled out and approached him slowly.

"Pilot Ikari," one of them called, "we need you to come with us."

He looked at them nervously; uncomfortably aware of how close their hands were to their guns. "What's going on? Is there an angel?"

One of them, the leader, Shinji guessed, took a step forward. "We just need you to come with us."

Shinji stood steadfast, "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."

One of them looked at his comrades, "Think that counts as resisting?"

The leader shrugged, "Close enough for me." He drew his gun and leveled it at Shinji's face.

The roar of an approaching engine nearly drowned out the sound of the gunshot. Shinji's jaw dropped as the side of lead agent's head exploded outward.

The surviving agents dove for cover as a red sports car slid between them and the motionless Third Child.

Three more gunshots echoed through the still night. Kaji launched out of the car and ran over to the leader's corpse. He pointed at the car, "Shinji, get in the car."

Shinji didn't move, "Kaji, what the hell is going on?"

"I'll explain everything, I promise, but right now I need you to get in the car." He was rifling through the dead agent's pockets. He pulled out a cell phone and hustled back to the car. Shinji was already in the passenger seat, shaking and pale. "I'll explain everything in a minute, Shinji. I just need to do this first." He redialed the most recent call on the stolen cell phone.

"Yes?" a cold voice answered.

"Mission complete," Kaji said, disguising his voice as best he could without being obvious. "Three Charlie neutralized."

"Understood. Bring in the body for confirmation."

"Copy that," Kaji said. He hung up the phone and looked over at Shinji, staring straight ahead, completely motionless. "That should keep them off our tail for an hour or so."

"Why did Section Two just try to kill me?" Shinji's voice was hoarse.

Throwing the car into drive, Kaji left a patch of rubber on the ground as he accelerated away from the scene of the crime. "The commander ordered them to go to Condition Black with you. That means they were to bring you in dead or alive." He glanced at Shinji out of the corner of his eye. "Like you saw, that's basically a death sentence with the way Section Two works."

The little remaining color in the boy's face drained. "Wh-why would my father order something like that?"

Kaji grimaced, "That's the big question, Shinji. I don't know."

"What do we do now?"

"Now," the unshaven man sighed, "we have to get out of the city."

"What? But what about Asuka? And Misato? And everyone else?"

He gripped the steering wheel. "I know, I don't want to leave either, but if we stay here, they'll kill both of us. I'm sorry, Shinji, but I can't give you a choice with this. If we stay, we'll turn all of them into targets too."

"B-but what about Unit-01?" Shinji was on the verge of tears. "There's nobody else who can pilot it. What happens when another Angel attacks?"

"I may not know why your father did this, but I can tell you that he absolutely wouldn't have done it without a backup plan for Unit-01."

Shinji sagged forward in his seat, all the strength fading from him. "Where are we going?"

"I know someone who can help us out," he answered. "We just need to get to the airfield on the edge of the city. I keep a plane there."

#

* * *

#

"He's late," Asuka growled, drumming her fingers on the table.

"Only fifteen minutes," Hikari said, trying to soothe her increasingly irate friend. "He'll probably be here any minute."

"He is so dead when he gets here."

They had spent the better part of the day helping Asuka pick out her outfit and doing her hair. Ultimately, they settled on a tight fitting black dress that showed off her legs and accentuated her chest without showing it off too much. It was something that would, as Asuka had put it, make Shinji's eyes pop out of his head.

She had foregone her ever present A10 clips, a feat that took Hikari an hour to convince her of by itself. Her hair was done up in a sophisticated style that the class rep's older sister suggested. The entire effect was decidedly breathtaking.

It annoyed Asuka to no end that she had gone to all this trouble and Shinji hadn't even bothered to be on time. Reaching the limit of her patience, she reached into her purse and took out her cell phone. "That's it. I'm calling him."

#

* * *

#

Shinji and Kaji hustled across the airfield to the small private plane that Kaji had pointed out. Halfway between where they left the car and the plane, Shinji's phone started to ring.

Kaji's back stiffened. He whipped around on the boy, "Shinji, don't answer that."

He looked back and forth between the frantic Kaji and the phone's screen, "But it's Asuka. I can't just leave without saying anything to her."

Kaji stretched out his hand, "If she doesn't know what happened to you, she won't have to lie when they ask her. And they will ask her." Shinji hesitated. "Give me the phone."

He handed it over. Kaji promptly dropped it on the ground. He drew his gun and fired two shots into the device.

At the plane, Kaji told him to wait while he fueled it up. Leaning against the side of the plane, Shinji felt his stomach churn as he finally had a chance to contemplate what had just happened. He doubled over and emptied his stomach onto the ground.

A few minutes later, Kaji stepped up next to him, a sympathetic look on his face. "We're ready to go, Shinji."

Shinji wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and nodded. He opened the door and climbed into the plane.

Kaji hustled around and climbed into the plane's other seat. As soon as the door was closed, he started running through an abbreviated preflight check. "Right," he said. "This won't be the smoothest flight on record. We'll have to stay low to stay out of radar range. We don't want to attract attention."

Shinji just nodded as the plane started moving. As they left the ground, Shinji twisted around to look at the shrinking skyline of Tokyo-3. He barely noticed the tears streaking down his face.

Kaji looked ahead, checking the instruments occasionally. "I know how you're feeling, Shinji. I'm feeling it too. This isn't the end though. I can promise you that." He glanced at the manila envelope sitting between the two of them. "We'll come back, and when we do, your father won't know what hit him."

* * *

A/N: WOO! Another one down. Shit, meet fan. Fan, meet shit. I'm sure you guys will get along great.

This chapter was a pretty significant one for me. It had two of the first scenes that I ever imagined for this story. Kozo arguing with Gendo and Kaji leaving with Shinji helped get me started, and I was so excited to get them out. While we're on the subject of Kozo, he sure had a lot to do here, didn't he?

On a side note, if you wanted a subtitle for this chapter, it would be _Made possible courtesy of The Protomen_. Four scenes in this chapter were directly inspired by three songs from the album _Act II: The Father of Death_ by The Protomen. Kozo arguing with Gendo came from "The Good Doctor." Both of the scenes in Kozo's study were inspired by "Father of Death." The ending was inspired by "Breaking Out." If you're not familiar with their work, I suggest you check them out. They're awesome.

Now it's time for…

Review Acknowledgements:

**justanotherguy**: I love something about the idea of Gendo being so insanely prepared that he has contingencies for things that are basically impossible. He's like an evil, bearded Batman. I actually wasn't familiar with "Better Luck Next Time," but I'm glad you mentioned it to me. I really enjoyed it. As for Unit-03's…cameo, I can tell you exactly where it came from. It came from me writing at 1:30 in the morning and not proofreading enough.

**Chuckman**: Well, not quite villainous. It just took him a while to have an attack of conscience.

**KnightLance**: Gendo is a creepy bastard, isn't he? If you ask him (my version of him at least), he wouldn't feel the need to explain anything. His head is firmly implanted in his own ass. Sorry about the tease with the date, but I felt I had to do it. For DRAMA! And Rei? I have a lot of trouble with Rei for some reason. In the end, I decided she was good enough here and opted to get the chapter out. I'll try to do better with her in the future, especially since she probably won't be doing a ton in this story.

**JDH1080**: How's this for not too far ahead? Enjoy.

**Aiur**: Thanks, I put a lot of effort into getting my own spin on the tried and true story. I'm glad you think I managed it. Like I told KnightLance about Rei, I have a hell of a time with her for some reason, and I figured that, since she likely won't be doing all that much in this story, she was close enough. Chapter 4 took long enough to come out as it was. I do want to try harder with her in the future.

**Jack **: No worries. You got a taste of what Gendo has in store here. He's far from done though. I think I can safely say that things are going to start getting crazy from here. And don't worry; I am far from quitting because of a little writer's block. I kicked its ass to get this out.


	6. Reaction

A/N: Hello, dear readers. Welcome to the beginning of the second act of my little story. It's the shortest chapter so far, but I felt it all warranted being its own chapter instead of getting rolled in with another.

Disclaimer: Still don't blah blah blah.

* * *

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion: Mitigation**_

Chapter 6: Reaction

* * *

There was a creaky floorboard under the carpet. That was the only new piece of information that Kozo Fuyutsuki had learned since ordering the capture of the Third Child. After his call to Agent Kaji, he started pacing the length of his study. He held the bottle of scotch in one hand and his glass in the other, taking an occasional sip of the liquor. Every time he walked across the middle of the room, he felt a subtle shift in the floor accompanied by a low creak. It had provided a momentary distraction for the vice commander, but his mind quickly blocked out the sound. There were more important things to focus on.

For about twenty minutes, nothing happened. He just paced the room, getting himself progressively more intoxicated. Finally, his cell phone rang, its vaguely musical ringtone startling him. Placing the glass on his desk, he fished the phone out of his pocket. "Yes?"

"It's done," the Section Two director reported. "My men are bringing in the body now for confirmation."

Fuyutsuki felt his breath catch in his chest. "He's dead then?"

"Yes, Vice Commander," Olev responded.

"What happened?" Fuyutsuki found himself in his desk chair without any recollection of having moved there.

The Russian man's answer was dismissive, "I don't know yet. They will be debriefed when they return with the Third Child's body."

For a moment, Fuyutsuki considered chewing out the Russian for his impertinence. He fought back the urge. The commander had made it very clear that he would not tolerate any more pissing contests between the two of them. "Right. Keep me updated."

"Of course, sir." Fuyutsuki could practically hear the self-satisfied smirk on the man's face. "If there's nothing else…"

"No," he started, his voice sounding weak even to his own ears. He cleared his throat. "No, that's all. Good work." He hit the call end button and stared at the phone.

That was it then. Agent Kaji had apparently not been able to get to the Third Child in time. He lifted the bottle of scotch, still dangling limply from his left hand, and took a swig directly from it. He stared at the bottle, his hand clenching around its neck. With an animalistic yell, he hurled it across the room, where it shattered against the wall with a crash. A shower of broken glass and scotch sprayed out, covering everything within a few feet of the impact site.

As it began to soak into the carpet, Fuyutsuki dropped his head into his hands. "I'm sorry, Yui."

The commander would be expecting an update soon. He forced himself to lift his head up, instantly wishing that he hadn't destroyed the bottle of scotch. He dialed the commander's private line.

Ikari answered on the second ring. "What is it Fuyutsuki?"

"Director Olev has reported in," he said. "His men are bringing in the Third Child's body."

Ikari took a moment to absorb this information. "Very well. We don't have to worry about further contamination then."

Fuyutsuki bit his lip, "What will you tell the committee? They're going to want to know why one of our pilots is dead."

"The Third Child's psychological issues are well known to the old men," the commander replied. "It will not be overly difficult for them to accept that he took his own life before Section Two could step in and save him."

The vice commander's jaw dropped. "So the official story will be that your son snapped under the pressure of piloting and killed himself?"

"Correct. A tragic, but not wholly unexpected turn of events."

#

* * *

#

When he was fifteen minutes late, Asuka was annoyed. She tried to call him, but after a few rings, the call cut off. Every subsequent call went straight to Shinji's voicemail. Hikari talked her down and convinced her that he was just running late.

When he was thirty minutes late, she was livid. How dare he keep her waiting this long? She tried to call him again, but she still just got his voicemail. Once again, Hikari kept her from freaking out too badly, though it was a near thing.

At forty-five minutes, she was starting to get worried. This wasn't like Shinji. He would never leave her waiting like this; he was too polite to even think of doing such a thing. At the very least he would call her to give her a heads up and an explanation. Even if he was having phone trouble, he would find some way to get in touch with her. She started to pace around Hikari's living room.

He was an hour late now, and Asuka was entering a full blown panic. There was no way in hell Shinji Ikari stands her up for their first date. She saw him this morning. She'd never seen him more excited about anything.

"Something's wrong, Hikari," she said. "Shinji must be in some kind of trouble."

Hikari looked at her sympathetically, "Asuka, something obviously came up, but I'm sure he's fine."

Shaking her head, Asuka stood up and walked over to the door. "I don't think so. He'd have called me. He wouldn't just leave me waiting." She was out the door and out onto Hikari's stoop before her friend had a chance to respond to that.

It was a warm night, and a pleasant breeze blew across her face. She looked up and down the street, hoping that Hikari was right and she'd see that idiot coming around the corner with a sheepish grin on his face. Of course, there was no sign of him. She rubbed her arms, suddenly feeling cold, and bit her lip uncertainly.

"Asuka?" Hikari's voice was soft. "If you're really that worried about him, why don't you call Misato? Maybe she knows something."

The redhead nodded as she fished out her cell phone. Misato would know something. Say what you wanted about her home life – and Asuka could say plenty – but Misato took her duty as their guardian seriously. She dialed her guardian's number and waited for her to answer. "Come on," she muttered to herself. "Pick up, pick up, pick up."

Finally, Misato answered, "Hello?"

"Misato," she began without preamble. "Is baka-Shinji there?"

"What?" She sounded genuinely surprised. "Shinji? Asuka, he left ages ago. Why…" She trailed off as it dawned on her. "He never showed up?"

Asuka let out a shaky breath, "No, and I can't get him on his phone."

Misato whispered out a string of curses under her breath. "Listen, Asuka. Don't freak out. I'm going to make some calls, then I'm going to come get you, okay?" She tried to put as much of a reassuring tone into her voice as she could manage, "Then we're going to find Shinji."

"Okay." There was a vaguely teary quality to the girl's voice.

"I'm serious. We'll find him. You know Shinji, he probably put in his SDAT to relax and lost track of where he was walking and got lost." She tried desperately not to show that she didn't feel nearly as confident as she sounded.

"I'm going to kill him if that's what happened."

Misato sighed. That was one crisis averted for the immediate future. At least long enough for Misato to pick her up. "I'll be there soon." She hung up and stared at the phone in her hand nervously. There was any number of possibilities running through her head as potential explanations, none of them good.

#

* * *

#

In Fuyutsuki's mind, the worst part of the commander's office was the trip there. He had long since grown accustomed to the carefully crafted intimidation factor that the room itself possessed. The long series of walks and elevator rides required to get to the room, however, left nothing but your own thoughts to occupy you. It made it all too easy to get inside your own head. Dealing with a man as dangerous as Gendo Ikari, that was as hazardous as anything that could actually happen in the cavernous office. Fuyutsuki had no doubt that this had been an intentional design choice.

He reflected on all of this as he walked the final hallway leading up to Ikari's office. His guilt over the Third Child's fate was burning him up inside. It felt as though a ball of lead had settled in his stomach. Halfway down the corridor, his phone began ringing. He grimaced at the name and number displayed on the screen. He answered the call, "What is it, Olev? I'm about to go meet with the commander."

Sergei Olev cleared his throat, "Vice Commander, I must inform you that a situation has arisen regarding the Third Child."

Fuyutsuki froze, mere feet from the commander's door. "Go on." His heart was pounding. The boy was already dead. It was hard to imagine any new developments that would prompt the director to call him. Unless…

On any other evening, Fuyutsuki would have reveled in the subdued tone in the director's voice. "My team never returned with his body."

The vice commander slumped against the wall as he listened to Olev's stiff explanation and apology. He felt relief flood through him as Olev brought him up to speed. He cleared his throat, "Very well." He forced a cold sharpness into his voice, "I would suggest you stay near your phone. If the commander doesn't want to speak with you, I would be shocked."

"Da, Vice Commander."

Fuyutsuki opted not to further acknowledge the director and hung up on him. He took a moment to compose himself and pushed his way into the office. He choked down a wave of anger at the commander's unconcerned posture. As far as he knew, his son had just been murdered by his own order. "I just spoke to Director Olev. There's been a complication."

Ikari regarded him levelly, "What sort of complication?"

"Apparently the team sent to kill the Third never returned with the body after they checked in." Fuyutsuki stood ramrod straight as he explained. "A second team was sent out to locate them. Their bodies were found in the street a few blocks from the Third's apartment."

"So the Third Child is still alive?"

The former professor nodded, "That does seem the most likely possibility. Section Two is on site investigating."

Ikari clasped his hands in front of his face, "Who provided the false report then? I cannot imagine Director Olev would be fooled by the Third's voice."

"Section Two is still investigating that, Commander." Half-truths were much easier to conceal than outright lies, Fuyutsuki reflected. If he was extremely lucky, Ikari would remain none the wiser about the vice commander's involvement in this. "I instructed the director to remain by the phone in case you wished to speak with him about this."

"Later," Ikari said, standing up and adjusting his glasses. "There are more urgent matters that must be seen to first."

Fuyutsuki nodded, "The Committee?"

"Correct," the commander droned as he strode confidently toward his private elevator. It provided the quickest access to the secure holographic teleconference room that was used for SEELE's meetings.

Fuyutsuki fell into step a couple paces behind the commander and slightly to his right. "What will you tell them? We can't very well tell them he's dead without a body."

Ikari stared ahead thoughtfully as the elevator doors slid noiselessly shut. "The truth."

Fuyutsuki stared, dumbstruck, at the commander, "The truth?"

"Or near enough to it. Through a gross failure of Section Two, four agents are dead and the Third Child has been taken by an unknown party. It will serve our purposes well enough."

Fuyutsuki frowned, "You planned for this, didn't you?"

"I have planned for a great many eventualities, as I would think you know by now, Fuyutsuki."

It was through sheer force of will that Fuyutsuki didn't react to that. Even though he had long ago learned to expect Ikari to always have a plan for every situation, the man's preparedness never ceased to amaze him. He forced back a smirk as he thought of a nickname that was whispered in some corners of NERV HQ. Goddamn Gendo, the Once and Future Bastard King.

The elevator doors opened again and the two men stepped into the darkened room. Ikari took up his position on the holographic scanner in the center of the room. Fuyutsuki stood along the edge of the room, out of the way, but ready in case the commander needed him for something.

One by one, the monoliths that represented the members of SEELE faded into existence, forming a circle around Ikari. The one directly at the front of the circle, SEELE 01, Lorenz Keel, the group's leader, was the first to speak. "Ikari, we are hearing disturbing reports from Tokyo-3. Would you care to enlighten us as to what exactly is happening over there?"

#

* * *

#

Misato Katsuragi was worried. Granted, that had been true since she'd gotten off the phone with Asuka, but the time since had not eased her concern in the slightest. If anything it heightened it. At its core, NERV was a bureaucracy, admittedly a highly efficient one, but a bureaucracy nonetheless. As such, one could expect a certain amount of bureaucratic bullshit when trying to get things done. The amount of paperwork that landed on her desk after every battle was testament to that.

That said, she was accustomed to her rank and position affording her the luxury of rising above much of it when she leaned hard enough on the right people. NERV's mission was important, and since her job bore a direct connection to the success of that mission, people were generally reluctant to slow her down with things like filling out requisition forms in triplicate. Those things could always be taken care of when the crisis was averted.

Misato thought about all this as she climbed into her car because it was not holding true tonight. Everyone she had spoken to in Section Two, from the head of Shinji's security detail all the way up to Sergei Olev himself, had given her the runaround. She had been shunted up the chain of command so many times that she was shocked the director hadn't referred her to Commander Ikari. Instead, he'd assured her, in that creepy condescending tone of his, that he had men on it and that she would be informed as soon as they had any information. Russian bastard.

She knew immediately that he was holding something back from her, and under any other circumstances, she would have pushed him for more information. As it was, she had already taken far longer than expected. Asuka was surely going out of her mind with worry by this point. So here Misato sat, Bluetooth headset in her ear, ready to answer a call that she doubted would be coming for some time, driving to the Horaki household.

Around halfway to Hikari's, she came across a series of black Section Two SUVs blocking the road, their emergency lights flashing in the darkness. Instantly, the vague concern in her gut bloomed into fear. This would be on Shinji's route to Hikari's. She threw the Alpine into park and ran over to the barricade.

One of the agents on the perimeter waved her to a stop, "Sorry, ma'am, this area is closed until further notice."

Misato rolled her eyes and showed the agent her NERV identification. "Want to try that again?"

He stiffened and stepped out of her way, "Sorry, Captain. Go right ahead."

She nodded, stepping past the police line. "What's going on here?"

He looked around nervously, "Uh, there were a few agents killed earlier tonight. We're still trying to figure out what happened."

Misato was already hurrying away from him toward the four sheet-covered bodies in the street. She pointed at the agent who looked to be in charge, "You. What were these four doing here?" She gestured at the corpses.

He looked at her, confused for a moment, before he recognized her. "They were part of Pilot Ikari's detail."

"And where exactly _is_ Pilot Ikari?" Misato's eyes were wide.

"I wouldn't know anything about that, Captain," he said. "Sorry."

Misato left him to go about his business and ran back to her car. Within minutes, she had reached Hikari's house and Asuka was in the car. Misato had to admit, the girl seemed to have gotten a better grip on her panic since they'd spoken on the phone. That was strained to some extent as Misato explained what she saw at the crime scene.

"So nobody knows where he is?" Asuka looked pale.

Misato bit her lip, "I don't know, Asuka. I'm not done trying to get answers."

The girl opened her mouth to respond when Misato's phone cut her off.

"Katsuragi."

Asuka watched anxiously as Misato listened carefully.

"Yes, Commander. I…yes, she's here, sir. Yes, sir." She hung up and looked over at Asuka, who was watching her intently. "The commander wants to see us in his office."

#

* * *

#

Gendo Ikari was practically gloating. The old men had acceded to his requests with only a small wave of token protests. It was, Ikari reflected, almost too easy to bend the fools to his will. They didn't even have an inkling of what he was doing. When Katsuragi and the Second Child arrived, the next stage of the plan would commence and the scenario could get back on track.

Behind him, Fuyutsuki stepped forward, "Commander, Director Olev has a lead on the Third's whereabouts."

Ikari waited expectantly for him to continue.

"Security footage from an airfield on the edge of the city shows him and Inspector Kaji fueling up a plane and taking off."

"I see," the commander muttered. "Do we have a bearing on the plane?"

Fuyutsuki looked at a note on his PDA, "They stayed below radar range, but some of our other systems managed to keep track of them."

"Good. Tell Olev to dispatch Task Group Seven. They are to recover the Third and Inspector Kaji by any means necessary."

Fuyutsuki blanched at the commander's chosen course of action. Thankfully, Ikari wasn't looking at him and so didn't see. "Yes, sir."

"Tell me, Fuyutsuki, how do you think the inspector had the good fortune to get to the Third before Section Two?"

Fuyutsuki felt his breath catch in his chest. Surely the commander didn't know about his call to Kaji. "I couldn't imagine, Ikari. It seems too big a coincidence for him to have stumbled upon them."

"There must have been a leak somewhere," Ikari said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

The vice commander felt his pulse skyrocket, "That would seem logical. Should I have Olev look into it?"

Ikari pondered this for a moment, "No. We'll simply keep an eye on things. We wouldn't want to tip our hand."

Fuyutsuki barely managed to hold in a sigh of relief. "Yes, sir."

A tense silence fell on the room and wasn't broken for several minutes. Finally, the doors opened to admit Captain Katsuragi and Pilot Sohryu. Ikari watched them approach. It was plain to see that the two were uneasy. When they stopped a few feet from the desk, Ikari decided it was time to address them. "The Third Child has been kidnapped."

Sohryu's jaw dropped. Katsuragi stood even straighter, "Sir?"

Unreadable as ever, Ikari repeated himself, "The Third Child has been kidnapped."

Sohryu found her voice, "By whom?"

"We do not know yet. Section Two has already launched an investigation." Both of them started to speak, but were cut off by Ikari, "Everything we know so far is being assembled and will be forwarded to you shortly."

It truly spoke to Katsuragi's discipline that she maintained her calm. The tension in her jaw line gave a small glimpse into her actual feelings about the situation. "Due respect, Commander, but this is Section Two's failure. Should they be the ones conducting the investigation?"

Ikari's eyebrow arched imperiously, "Under normal circumstances, the investigation would fall to the Operations division. Given your…connection to the Third Child, however, the potential conflict of interest leaves me no choice but to keep the investigation in the hands of Section Two. I have the utmost faith that Director Olev will be thorough and impartial in the matter."

Katsuragi bit at the inside of her cheek, "Of course, Commander. I didn't mean to imply otherwise."

"In the meantime, I do have an assignment for you," Ikari said, leaning back in his seat.

She furrowed her brow, "What's that, sir?"

"In light of this crisis, the UN has authorized an emergency lockdown of Tokyo-3 until the situation is resolved." Katsuragi was clearly shocked by this news. "You will organize and coordinate it."

"I…Sir, we don't have nearly enough manpower for an operation of that magnitude."

"Which is why the JSSDF has agreed to provide us with a brigade on extended loan," the commander replied. "Officially, I will be in charge of these troops, but I will leave the day-to-day operations to you, Lieutenant Colonel."

Katsuragi's started to nod before she caught that. "Sir?"

"Your promotion to Major was long overdue, Katsuragi. The jump from there to Lieutenant Colonel is one that will be necessary for you to exercise your authority over the new troops."

She snapped off a salute, though her mind was obviously elsewhere, "I won't let you down, Commander."

"Be sure you don't," he said before turning his attention to the Second Child. "Pilot Sohryu."

"Yes, Commander?" she replied, her entire body shaking minutely from a combination of fear and despair.

"The Marduk Institute has agreed to accelerate the approval of the Fourth Child. When that happens you will assist Doctor Akagi in training the new pilot."

"What?" The indignation in her voice was quite clear, "We're just going to replace him? Already?"

"Our fight against the Angels is too important for us to be blinded by sentimentality." His voice didn't change in any identifiable way, but somehow it suddenly sounded more threatening. "If and when the Third Child returns, he will resume piloting duties as soon as he is able."

"And in the meantime, I have to train a complete rookie."

"That is correct." He glared at the girl, "Will that be a problem, Pilot Sohryu?"

Remembering her place and who she was talking to, shook her head, "No, Commander."

Ikari nodded, "Good. You are dismissed, then."

They saluted and promptly left the office. Fuyutsuki leaned forward, "Are you certain it was the best decision to give those two so much responsibility while we are adapting to the Third Child's escape?"

That was a perfectly reasonable question. Katsuragi had developed a relationship with the Third that was somewhere between motherly and sisterly. It was not beyond consideration that she would be emotionally compromised by his disappearance. That said, it would hardly be a new development if his Operations Director was emotionally damaged. She was practically the poster child for high-functioning alcoholics everywhere.

The Second Child had been growing considerably closer to the Third thanks to his contamination of the timeline. Depending on how much influence he managed to exert, she could be almost as dangerous. Based on her behavior though, he was willing to get that he hadn't been able to do much and they would still be able to control her to a sufficient degree.

"It's better if they are distracted with extra duties," he finally replied. "It will prevent them from poking around too much."

#

* * *

#

The sudden jostling of the plane jolted Shinji awake. He looked around frantically and found that they were no longer in the air, which helped him relax immediately. He wasn't _scared_ of flying, per se, but he was far from comfortable with it. He preferred to travel by train whenever possible.

"Sorry about that, Shinji." Kaji had apparently noticed that he was awake. "Didn't mean to wake you, but the landing got a bit rough, as you can see."

Indeed, the plane was bouncing rather violently all over the place. Shinji looked outside again and felt his stomach drop, "Uh, Kaji? Shouldn't we be on a runway or something?" Shinji wasn't a pilot, but he was fairly certain that planes don't generally land on large grassy fields in the middle of the night.

Kaji kept his eyes ahead as he wrestled the aircraft to a stop, "Ideally, yes. It seemed too risky to use an airfield though. Someone would be bound to notice us. We need to stay off the grid."

The plane finally coasted to a stop. "Where are we anyway?"

"As far as we could get staying in the air that long," he said as he reloaded his gun. "We could have gone further, but the more time we're in the air the likelier it is that we'd be spotted. We'll have to hoof it for a while."

"Until we get to where?"

Kaji scratched at his beard, "Nearest port town, first. After that we start making our way to the US.

"What?" Shinji's eyes widened, "I thought you said you knew someone who could help us."

"I do," he said. "They're in New Manhattan."

Shinji's head was spinning. The furthest he'd ever been out of the country was to the UN fleet to meet Asuka and Unit-02. Now he was on the run to the US because his father tried to have him killed. This day wasn't making any sense. It was supposed to be a good day. He should be on a date with Asuka right now, having fun.

Asuka. He reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. He pulled out a creased and folded photograph. Misato sat on one end of her sofa, smiling widely at the camera, Pen Pen seated in her lap. Next to her sat Shinji, completely unaware that on his other side, Asuka was using her right hand to give him bunny ears.

Misato had insisted that they take the picture shortly after the death of the Seventh Angel. She said that they were a family, and families kept pictures. All three of them had a copy. Shinji choked back a sob. What would they think happened to him? He looked over at Kaji, "You're sure we have to go? That they'll all be in danger if we stay?"

Kaji nodded sadly, "I am."

Shinji bit the inside of his lip as a tear escaped and tracked down his cheek. "Let's go."

Kaji didn't say anything, just gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder.

#

* * *

#

Asuka stared absently out the window of Misato's car. This was her fault somehow. Nothing even close to this happened last time. And she knew now that there was a last time. That realization had been a slow one, building slowly for weeks, but it finally hit a critical point during the blackout during the last Angel's attack. After that, memories of things that never happened began flooding back to her.

It had seemed like everything was going better this time. Everyone seemed happier. The battles were resulting in less damage. She and Shinji were getting together before the end of the world, goddamn it. So of course everything had to go to hell.

Misato had let the ride pass in silence, for which Asuka was grateful. She really didn't feel like talking at the moment. She was vaguely aware that the car had pulled to a stop in the apartment complex's parking garage. She made no effort to get out.

"Asuka," Misato whispered. The girl didn't respond. "Asuka, come on. Let's get inside."

The redhead finally turned away from the window and looked at her guardian, tears streaming down her face.

Misato felt her calm façade collapse at the sight. She pulled her into a tight hug as she started to cry. "It's going to be okay," she said.

Asuka whispered something into her shoulder.

Misato furrowed her brow, "What?"

"It's my fault."

Now she was confused. "What are you talking about?"

The German girl just sobbed into Misato's shoulder and tightened her hug.

"Listen to me," Misato said, a little strength returning to her voice. "This isn't your fault in any way. This is all on some sick bastard. We'll find him and we'll bring him home."

Asuka pulled back and wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Misato."

Misato offered her a weak smile, "Let's get inside."

Asuka nodded and followed Misato up to the apartment. She went straight to her room and lay down on the bed and picked up the picture on her nightstand. She stared at her, Misato, Pen Pen, and Shinji all seated on the sofa, looking so happy. Suddenly, the tears stopped coming. She felt her resolve harden. Misato was right. They were going to get Shinji back. Then she was going figure out a way to _fuck up_ the commander's _shit_.

* * *

A/N: I'm actually not sure how I feel about this chapter. Beyond the fact that it's the thinnest content-wise, I just have mixed feelings about it. Still, it was necessary to set the stage for the next part of the story. I don't really have a whole lot else to say. If you liked this one, glad I could entertain. If not, sorry, I should be returning to my regular level of quality ASAP.

Hey, let's do some…

Review Acknowledgements:

**Sadia Fiore**: It's been my pleasure to share it. Hope I can keep you around until the end.

**Starfire99**: I will readily admit that it was a bit clichéd. I thought about doing it during or after, but it just felt right before. The scene with Asuka thinking she'd been stood up was more to set up a part of Shinji's scene than it was to establish her state of mind. I moved past that pretty quickly here.

**justanotherguy**: I've got to admit, I was pretty proud of my bit of misdirection there. Kozo's always been a conundrum to me. I wanted to like him. Most series would have portrayed him in a much more sympathetic light. NGE didn't really let that happen, so I thought I'd take the opportunity.

**JDH1080**: DO IT. I finally got around to reading yours. I want to read the rest.

**KnightLance**: Thanks for the suggestion. They did help get a little insight into Rei. As for the direction…standby. Things are going to get crazy.

**Jack **: I'm honored that I got you to create a profile. I threw in a few twists in the last chapter, and here you got to see a lot of the reaction to them. I have to admit, I was disappointed in the commander too. He's so on target all the time that it was tough to write him being so far off base. Hope this one lived up to your expectations.

**George**: Welcome to _Mitigation_. I'm excited to lay out the full extent of Gendo's plan for you and everyone else.

**Winto-kun**: I struggled with how to portray Section Two here and still get what I needed to happen. Rest assured, all will make sense in due time though. There are reasons for all of it.

**Ctelenku**: Here you go. Hope it lives up to the rest.


	7. Inclusion

A/N: SURPRISE! I know what you're thinking, "Wait, didn't chapter 6 just come out a couple days ago?" Yes it did. And I was less than thrilled with it, so I wrote the _hell_ out of this one to get myself past it.

Disclaimer: I don't own NGE. I know, I know, stop the presses.

* * *

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion: Mitigation**_

Chapter 7: Inclusion

* * *

"Oh, great," the irate teenager shouted. "Now it's raining. Could this day get any worse?"

Misato sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Asuka, I think we need to talk."

"About what?" the girl growled as she stormed across the kitchen.

"You've been pissed at the world for the past week and a half," she replied calmly. She continued at the dangerous glint in Asuka's eyes, "I'm not blaming you. I'm just saying, maybe it would be good if you talked about it."

"What," Asuka said sharply, "you want to send me to a shrink?"

"Not if you don't want to go," the raven haired woman said soothingly. "But I think it might help to talk to someone."

Asuka crossed her arms, "Like who?"

Misato sighed, "Anyone, Asuka. You know I _am_ dealing with the same thing you are. But if you don't want to talk to me, at least find someone."

"I don't need to talk to anyone," she snarled, pushing away from the table. "I'm perfectly fine." She stormed out of the kitchen and into her bedroom without a backward glance, slamming her door behind her.

Misato slumped forward in her chair and pushed a hand through her hair with a heavy sigh. Asuka hadn't been this difficult to deal with since she first arrived in Tokyo-3. It seemed, in Misato's admittedly inexpert opinion, that Shinji had been a fairly powerful calming force in the girl's life. His disappearance had hit her hard. Hell, it had hit Misato hard, but Asuka was having a particularly difficult time with it.

Asuka had all but completely shut out Misato, and the only other relatively stable adult influence in her life had fallen off the grid at the same time as Shinji. She looked at her cell phone, briefly considering trying to call him again, but she dismissed it as a waste of time. Kaji's phone had been going straight to voicemail, just like Shinji's.

His disappearance confused her almost as much as Shinji's. None of her inquiries into his whereabouts yielded any results, and she had been making many. Her best guess, and her biggest hope, was that he had gone dark to find Shinji. Special Inspector was a poorly defined job at best. It really served as a sort of catchall for whatever the commander needed. The fact that Kaji had a knack for doing things discreetly meant that he was given a lot of jobs off the books.

Shaking her head sadly, Misato looked around the kitchen. The state of it would have left the impeccably neat Shinji in tears. It only took a few days of Misato and Asuka fending for themselves for the place to fall into a truly shocking state of disrepair. The worst part was that the food that had contributed to the development of the disaster zone was barely edible. As it turned out, Asuka wasn't a much better cook than Misato. Oh, she claimed that it was just because she didn't have any of the ingredients for a good German meal to work with, but Misato had her doubts as to how true that was.

She stood up from the table. None of this introspection was productive and she had to get ready for work. Her job always kept her busy enough before she had to worry about keeping an entire city locked down. She strolled back to her bedroom to finish getting ready, sparing a doleful glance at Asuka's door as she passed it.

The mood in Asuka's room was decidedly different from the one that followed Misato around. The Second Child, at the moment that her guardian walked by her door, was brutalizing one of her pillows, a fierce scowl on her face. She knew on some level that she needed to calm down, not just now, but in general. People were starting to worry about her, Misato and Hikari chief among them. The last thing she needed was for them to decide that she was better off in a loony bin.

It wasn't that simple, though. Even now, as she tried to stop herself from pummeling her pillow, she couldn't stop her fists from flying. Nothing had gone right in the past week and a half. First Shinji vanished, then there was no trace of Kaji anywhere. The city was locked down, so the normally listless denizens of Tokyo-3 had mostly become suspicious and irritable. She still had no idea how to stop Third Impact from happening again. The original plan had been split down the middle when that damn machine exploded around her. It had been annihilated when this timeline's Shinji was taken.

The only good thing, short lived as it would certainly be, from her perspective was that they apparently hadn't found the Fourth Child yet. She had absolutely no desire to teach a dumb rookie how to pilot. She wondered idly if it would be that stooge Suzuhara again. Wouldn't that just cap everything off perfectly, having to train that dumb ape while dealing with flashbacks to the image of him in a hospital bed minus an arm and a leg?

Oh, and it was raining, which wouldn't bother her all that much if it weren't for the fact that she had to walk to school. All in all, Asuka felt it was impressive that she hadn't murdered anyone yet. She hurled the pillow across the room, cursing at the unsatisfying _plop_ it made as it hit the wall. She fell onto her bed, gripping the sides of her head. She picked up the picture on her nightstand and stared at it. It was one of the few things in her room that hadn't been thrown in the past few days. "Goddamn it, Third Child."

#

* * *

#

Shinji Ikari was bored. He wasn't sure how exactly that was possible, seeing as he was on the run from one of the most powerful organizations on the planet, but there it was. It had taken about two days of hiking to reach this town from where they abandoned the plane. Ever since then, they'd been holed up in a crappy motel with a truly uninspiring view of the town's marina. He had no clue why they weren't on the move, or what had happened to Kaji's plan to get to New Manhattan. Every time he asked Kaji, the man would smirk and just say they were "waiting."

What they were waiting for, Kaji never said. In the meantime though, Shinji had been stuck in this motel room for over a week. Kaji insisted that he stay inside at all times to avoid the outside possibility that someone connected to NERV would spot him. It made sense and Shinji didn't complain, but that didn't make it any less mind-numbingly boring. He didn't even have his SDAT with him.

He looked around the room, though he didn't need to by this point. The two beds sat against one wall, a few feet and a rickety nightstand separating them. A pair of dressers was opposite the beds, one of them holding an ancient, pre-Impact television with dying speakers and fuzzy picture. The plaster of the walls was cracked in several places and had a black spot in one corner that Shinji strongly suspected to be mold. The bathroom…well, the less said about the bathroom the better.

Speaking of the bathroom, the sound of the shower cut off. Shinji sighed. He wasn't going to hold his breath, but maybe they would actually get out of this damn motel. He trusted Kaji, but he was starting to get frustrated with the fact that they weren't doing anything. At this rate he'd never get back home to Asuka and Misato and everyone else.

A few minutes later, Kaji stepped out of the bathroom, pulling his hair back into a ponytail. "Morning, Shinji. How's my favorite fugitive doing today?"

Shinji shrugged, "Okay I guess."

Kaji grinned and walked over to the window, peering through the curtain. He surveyed the docked ships for a moment before his grin broke into a wide smile, "Well, Shinji, I think your day's about to get better."

The boy immediately perked up, "Really?"

"Yep," he said. "I think I just spotted what we've been waiting for."

Shinji was over by the window in a heartbeat. "What is it?"

Kaji pointed to one of the ships, "Right there."

The specified ship seemed entirely unremarkable to Shinji. He looked at Kaji uncertainly, "Friends of yours?"

"No," Kaji shook his head. "No idea who owns it."

Shinji furrowed his brow, trying to figure out what was so special about that boat. "Then what…"

"Don't worry, Shinji," the scruffy man assured him. "Just follow my lead. Get ready, we're leaving." He released the curtain and checked his gun.

Shinji grabbed the small luggage bag loaded with clothes that Kaji had picked up for him the first day here. Beyond that, he didn't have anything else to gather. His wallet, emptied of everything except a few thousand yen and the photo of him, Asuka, and Misato, was already in his pocket.

They were ready to leave in minutes. On their way out, Kaji checked out of the room and paid for their stay. Then he led the thoroughly curious Shinji down to the docks. A handful of people moved around the piers, but overall it was fairly quiet. None of them spared the two fugitives a second glance, much to Kaji's noticeable relief.

Before long, Shinji realized that they were making a beeline for the dock master's office. Kaji opened the door and gestured Shinji through. Inside, a grizzled looking man in perhaps his late fifties looked up from his newspaper. "Can I help you?"

Confident smile in place, Kaji stepped forward and shook the man's hand. "I sure hope so," he said. "My brother and I," he tilted his head toward Shinji, who nodded politely, "are looking to make our way down to Australia. You wouldn't happen to know if there are any boats here that can help us out, would you?"

The dock master pursed his lips, "Not sure, let me check." He reached over and picked up a clipboard on the wall and started flipping through the papers. "Not a lot of people setting sail for Australia from here," he commented. "You fellas going on vacation or something?"

Kaji shrugged, "Or something. Our folks just moved out there. They finally got settled, so I'm taking the little bro down there."

"Gotta go where the work is," the old man said. "Wouldn't it be easier to fly?"

"Infinitely," Kaji laughed. He leaned forward conspiratorially and gestured toward Shinji, "He's terrified of flying. Nearly had a coronary last time we tried to get him on a plane."

Shinji did his best to look sheepish. He did what Kaji told him and followed his lead, "Sorry, bro."

Kaji waved him off, "Don't worry about it."

The dock master seemed to find what he was looking for. "You might be in luck," he said. "Got a ship registered in Australia setting sail in a few hours. Don't know how they'd feel about taking on passengers, but you can go talk to the captain. The Seaward. She's in slip seventeen."

Kaji laughed and clapped Shinji on the shoulder, "Great." He shook the dock master's hand, "Thanks for your help."

The dock master waved them off as Kaji led Shinji out of the office and toward slip seventeen. Shinji recognized the Australian flag flapping in the breeze. They stopped a couple yards from the boat while Kaji studied it admiringly. A burly man in his mid-thirties with a deep tan looked over at them from the deck. "What do you want?" he called in Japanese with a slight Australian accent as he strode down the gangplank. He seemed more than a little irritated at their presence.

"Sorry, didn't mean to bother you," Kaji said. "We were just admiring your ship here. She's a real beauty."

The change in the man's demeanor was instantaneous. "Isn't she?" he said through a broad smile. "She's my pride and joy. Made the trip from Australia to Russia and back a dozen times."

Kaji whistled appreciatively, "Impressive. You guys are headed up there now?"

The captain shook his head, "No, we're making our way home now. Why, you guys heading north?"

"No," Kaji shook his head. "Just always interested in where people are going."

"Well, listen," he said, "not to be rude, but we're leaving in a couple hours and I've got a few things to see to still."

"Oh, of course," Kaji said. "It was good to meet you." He shook the captain's hand and wandered away, Shinji following after.

"Um, Kaji," Shinji whispered once they were out of earshot. "What just happened? Why didn't we ask if we could go with them?"

"We were never heading to Australia in the first place."

"So what was the point of all of this?" Shinji desperately hoped that Kaji was not losing his mind.

"Now there's a witness here who thinks we're on a ship headed down south," the older man explained. "If anyone comes through here asking questions that should throw them off the trail for a while."

That, Shinji realized, was brilliant. That just left one question, "Where are we going now? I know you said we were going to the US, but how are we going to get there?"

"Start making our way west," he said.

Shinji frowned, "You mean east, right? Wouldn't that be faster?"

"If we were going straight to New Manhattan, it would be," Kaji acknowledged. "But there are a few other stops we have to make."

Shinji was starting to realize that it would be quite a while before would be able to go home. Still, at least it was obvious now that Kaji knew what he was doing.

#

* * *

#

God this class was boring. Didn't the sensei realize that he kept giving the same damn lecture every single day? Probably not. Hell, there was a good chance that he didn't even realize he was giving a lecture at all and his dusty old brain was just on some kind of autopilot. As far as Toji Suzuhara was concerned, this guy was a walking argument against tenure.

Toji leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms as he felt his eyelids begin to get heavy. He glanced to his right, over the empty desk left by Shinji's disappearance. Kensuke sat with his head propped up on one hand, halfheartedly tapping away at his laptop.

He looked at Shinji's desk and frowned. He was worried about his friend. He knew the rough details of what had happened, of course, everyone in Tokyo-3 did. How could they not, the way the guy's face was plastered all over every media outlet in Tokyo-3 with a message that nobody could leave the city until he turned up? Toji had to stifle a laugh as he thought about how much his buddy would hate all the trouble everyone was going to for him.

Why would anyone want to hurt Shinji? He was pretty much the least offensive person in existence. Even the Red Devil had warmed up to him eventually. Toji, who was determined to never see anything about Sohryu in a positive light, had to admit that she had been marginally more pleasant when Shinji was around. Now that he was gone? She'd gone back to her Alpha Bitch style in a big way. He looked at the Devil, who sat glaring at anything and everything she could see. She looked ready to make Unit-02 start tap dancing on the school, if for no other reason than to shut up the fossil at the front of the room.

He snorted to himself. He'd be all for that idea if he weren't so sure that Sohryu wouldn't bother to get the students out of the building beforehand. He rested his chin against his chest and closed his eyes. Might as well get some sleep, it wasn't like he'd be learning anything today anyway.

As soon as his eyes were closed though, a chime sounded from the PA system. "Attention students," the announcement droned. "Toji Suzuhara report to the principal's office. Toji Suzuhara report to the principal's office."

Toji, thanks to years of conditioning by the Japanese school system, shot to his feet, bowed to the sensei, and was out of the room before he'd even fully processed the announcement's message. Then it hit him. What gives? He hadn't done anything to get in trouble. Nothing they could pin on him at least. He stuck his hands in his pockets and took his time getting to the principal's office. He knocked on the door.

"Come in," a woman's voice called from inside. This threw Toji for a bit of a loop, considering the principal was a middle aged man. He opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him. He was right about one thing; the woman sitting behind the desk was most definitely not the principal. She was strikingly attractive, Toji noticed immediately. She was blonde, though it was a dye job if the brown roots were any indication, and wearing a lab coat. "Toji Suzuhara?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah," he stammered, beyond confused at this point.

"I'm Doctor Ritsuko Akagi," she explained. "I'm NERV's head scientist."

"Okay," he drew out the word, unsure of what else to say to that.

She gestured for him to take a seat as she continued, "I'm sure that by now you're aware of what happened to Shinji."

Toji nodded, "Yeah. Is that what this is about? Did you find him or something?"

"Unfortunately, no," she said.

The jock frowned, "Then what…"

"With Shinji gone, we're down to two Evangelion pilots," she explained. "Obviously, that could be a dangerous situation to be in should another Angel attack before we can recover Shinji."

Toji had a bad feeling about this, "I still don't see what that has to do with me."

The doctor pursed her lips, "Mister Suzuhara, you have been selected as the Fourth Child."

Dumbfounded would have been a good word to describe Toji's expression, "The Fourth…You want me pilot one of those things?" That was insane. "No way. I've seen what it's like for Shinji in there. You'll have to find someone else."

Akagi sighed, "The ability to pilot is exceedingly rare." She looked down at the folder in her hands. "When I say you've been selected as the Fourth Child, I mean that you are only the fourth person to be identified as a potential pilot. There is no telling how long it will be before the Fifth is located." She desperately wished smoking were allowed in schools. "Quite frankly, we need you, Mister Suzuhara."

Toji looked truly shaken by the admission, "What will happen if I don't do it?"

The bottle blonde studied him for a moment. "If we have to keep fighting with just two Evas?" she finally said. "Maybe nothing. Maybe the end of the world. Anything in between."

Color drained from Toji's face as he stared at his hands. "I'll do it on one condition."

Akagi nodded. She'd been expecting this. "Name it."

"My…my sister. She was hurt pretty bad during Shinji's first fight. I want to make sure she's taken care of."

"I'll have to get approval," she said. "But I don't think that should be a problem. Most likely she'll be moved into the NERV hospital by the end of the week."

Toji kept staring at his hand and nodded, "Thank you."

"No, Mister Suzuhara, thank you." She handed him the folder that she'd been holding. "These are your temporary NERV credentials. You'll need to keep them on you at all times until you get your permanent ID card."

He accepted the folder wordlessly.

"And I know this is short notice, but we need you to report to NERV tonight at 1700 hours so we can test your compatibility with the Evas. I'll be able to tell you what's happening with your sister then as well."

"I'll be there," he said quietly. He felt as though he had no strength left in his body to resist. At least he knew his sister would be getting the best care possible. That more or less made selling his soul worth it.

#

* * *

#

The man in a black suit stood by the entrance to the marina, his dark sunglasses glinting slightly in the late afternoon sun. He brought his right wrist up to his mouth and spoke into the microphone mounted on his shirt cuff. "This looks promising. I want to check it out."

The receiver in his ear crackled to life, "Copy that, Phantom. Standby, backup is two minutes away."

Sure enough, exactly two minutes later, a black SUV pulled up next to him. Two more men in black suits stepped out while a third stayed in the driver's seat. Task Group Seven was nothing if not brutally efficient. Commander Ikari personally made sure of that.

The three men walked over to the marina office, one of them snagging a filled canister of gasoline as they passed a fueling station. Inside, the dock master looked up from his paperwork, eyes darting between the three suited men as they took off their sunglasses. "Afternoon," he greeted them uncertainly.

The lead agent, the one codenamed Phantom, drew a pair of photographs from his jacket pocket. "We're looking for some people." He handed the photos to the man. "Do you recognize either of them?"

The dock master glanced at the pictures and his eyes immediately went wide. "Yeah, they were here earlier, looking to get to Australia. Are they in some kind of trouble?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Phantom replied. "Did they find a ship?"

He nodded, "An Australian bucket called The Seaward."

"Do you have a copy of the ship's itinerary?"

"Yeah," the dock master said, his voice halting nervously. "But you'll need to tell me what this is about. My customers have certain expectations of privacy when they come here."

Phantom regarded the man thoughtfully. He took a step back and glanced over his shoulder at the agent holding the gas can. "Explain it to the man."

Wordlessly, he began dousing the dock master with gasoline.

The grizzled old man began cursing and shouting, sputtering when a wave of gas hit him in the face. When the can was empty, the agent produced a lighter from his pocket. He flipped open the top and let the dock master get a good look at the flame.

The old man's eyes went wide with fear. "Wait, wait, I'll give it to you. Just please…I have a family." He picked up a stack of papers off the desk and started sifting through it. He pulled out a sheet and handed it to Phantom, who skimmed it.

Satisfied, he nodded to the agent with the lighter. "Your assistance has been most appreciated." He turned and walked out of the office, ignoring the small clatter of something metallic hitting the floor. He paid no mind to the low _whump_ or the wave of heat that washed over him. A small smirk crossed his face at the high pitched screams of a man burning alive.

The three agents climbed into the still running SUV. Phantom spared a glimpse back at the office building, where the flicker of flames could be seen through the windows. He signaled to the driver, who put the SUV into drive and left the marina behind. "I have a possible fix on the targets," he announced into his wrist mic. "Prep an intercept team." He read off the information about the boat in question and its planned route.

Once his order was acknowledged, he turned to watch the town slide past his window for a moment. Leaning back into his seat, a wicked grin formed, "I'm coming for you, Inspector."

#

* * *

#

Asuka had been right, it turned out. It _wasn't_ long before Doctor Akagi informed her that she would have to train the Fourth Child. Needless to say, the redhead was less than pleased at this turn of events, expected though it was. But here she was regardless, like a good little puppet, because the commander had ordered her to.

As much as it pissed her off, it would be a terrible idea to openly rebel against the bastard at this point. So she bitched and moaned and did as she was told, just like everyone expected. Because the alternative was, more likely than not, a bullet in the brain. Although in all honesty, she would have bitched and moaned anyway given the mood she was in.

Honest to god, the minute she had a workable plan together, she was blowing the lid off of this entire thing. Whatever ended up happening, she had to make sure somehow that it wouldn't put Shinji in any more danger.

Oh, yeah, that was the other conclusion she'd reached at some point – the commander was almost definitely responsible for Shinji being gone, which meant that he was in custody somewhere. He might be somewhere in NERV HQ, but probably not. A part of her mind pointed out that, since this was Gendo Ikari she was dealing with, Shinji was just as likely to be dead. She dismissed that out of hand. It wasn't even remotely productive to think like that.

A low growl escaped her throat as she slammed a fist into a wall. Naturally, that prompted her to swear loudly, since "reinforced concrete" traditionally beats "fist" in a head-to-head confrontation. "Fuck."

"You should probably watch it, Devil," a voice commented from behind her.

Asuka's back stiffened as she turned around. "Oh, you've got to be _shitting_ me." But, no, Toji Suzuhara was behind her, dressed in a blue and black plugsuit that resembled Shinji's without the white accents. "Of course it's you. That's just my luck."

Toji crossed his arms, "Believe me, I'm about as excited about it as you are."

Asuka rolled her eyes, "Somehow I doubt that, stooge."

"Okay," Toji snapped, "what is your problem? I'm used to you being a bitch, but you've been even worse than usual lately."

"You couldn't even begin to understand my problem," she said.

"Oh, no?" he fired back, arching an eyebrow. "You think you're the only one who's worried about Shinji? He's my friend too."

Her jaw dropped, "Excuse me?"

"What, you're going to say that's not what's going on?" He held up a hand around eye level. "When we met you, you were full-blown Red Devil." He dropped the hand down a few inches, "Shinji asks you out, you chill out a little. He gets kidnapped, well…" The hand shoots up above his head. "You're not dealing with this whole thing well and that's fine with me, but you need to get off your high horse and realize other people care about him too."

Asuka felt the anger drain out of her. She leaned against the wall and slid down until she was sitting on the cold floor. Then she did the absolute last thing Toji ever expected to see. She buried her face in her hands and started to cry.

Toji's brain shut down for a moment. This was…not something that should be possible. He took a tentative step forward, then another, until he was standing in front of Asuka's sobbing form.

She looked up at him, her cheeks streaked with tears, "I bet you're loving this, aren't you?"

Toji frowned, "Don't worry, Shinji's my friend and he actually likes you. For his sake I won't gloat about it."

Their eyes met and a flash of understanding passed between the two. She nodded and pushed herself back to her feet. "Good," she said, wiping the tears from her face. "Now let's go, we're probably going to be late for your compatibility test as it is."

"Right." He followed as she started walking down the hallway. "Why do you need to be here for that?"

She shrugged, "Security. I'm here in case Unit-00 goes nuts when you try to synch with it."

The jock blanched, "Is it…likely to do that?"

She shrugged again. "It did the first time Wondergirl tried apparently, but they're pretty sure they dealt with that."

He gulped audibly, "Why do I have to pilot the crazy one then. Why can't I get Shinji's?"

She took a moment to think about how to answer. "Unit-01 can be temperamental. It gets picky with its pilots. They had enough trouble getting it to accept the First Child. And there's no way in hell you're getting into my Unit-02."

"Great," he muttered. "Got any advice?"

She thought about something Wondergirl had told her once, a long time ago…in the future. Try wrapping your head around that one. "You have to open your heart to the Eva," she said. "Think about what you're piloting for and it should accept you."

Toji gave her a funny look.

"What?"

"It's just…" he paused, trying to figure out what to say, "You talk about them like they're alive or something."

"The Evas are…complex," she said mysteriously.

He snorted, "I never pegged you for the philosophical type, Devil."

She narrowed her eyes, "And I didn't think you knew words like 'philosophical,' stooge."

They reached the Eva cages before he could respond and Doctor Akagi walked over to rush them to the Evas. Asuka started Unit-02 without incident, naturally, and settled in to wait for Toji to synch with Unit-00. Rei was already in Unit-01. She fought down a surge of annoyance that Wondergirl was in Shinji's Eva.

It took almost two hours, but Toji managed to activate Unit-00 without any problems. As they powered down the Evas, Doctor Akagi announced that he'd managed at thirty-four percent synch ratio. Asuka was impressed, to say the least. The number wasn't incredible as far as synch ratios went, but for an untrained pilot it was pretty damn remarkable, especially since it was one of the three stooges. Then again, she reasoned, Shinji's first ratio had been even higher, so maybe there was something with the stooges. She shuddered at the thought. That would mean Kensuke would have a natural affinity for piloting, and that thought was just sick and wrong.

Still, it was comforting to know that the jock might not be completely incompetent at something.

#

* * *

#

Gendo Ikari stood in front of the panoramic window of his office, gazing out at the subterranean forest of the GeoFront, with his hands clasped behind his back. Fuyutsuki looked at the commander's silhouette as he walked through the room's double doors. It was, quite possibly, the most stereotypically evil pose he had ever seen, like Ikari was the villain of a superhero movie or something.

"What is it, Fuyutsuki?"

One of these days he would have to figure out how Ikari did that. The man hadn't shown even the slightest indication that he heard Fuyutsuki enter. "I have Colonel Katsuragi's latest report, if you have a moment."

"Go on," he said without turning from the window.

The former professor cleared his throat. "The JSSDF troops are settling in well," he said. "Long term quarters have finally been found for the last of them and there haven't been any significant complaints directed at us or the municipal government."

Ikari glanced over his shoulder. "Really?" he asked wryly.

"Well," he admitted, "there have been a couple thousand general complaints about the lockdown, but that's to be expected."

"Hmm." Ikari turned back to the window. "Have there been any security breaches."

Fuyutsuki scrolled through Katsuragi's report on his PDA. "Six so far, all of them freshman at Tokyo-3 University."

"Out-of-town students trying to get home?"

"Ah," he skimmed the report some more, "no, sir. It seems that they were pledging a fraternity."

"Have the fraternity's charter revoked," Ikari ordered. "And press full criminal charges against the students."

Fuyutsuki frowned, "Isn't that a little extreme, Commander? It was just a harmless prank."

The commander finally turned around to face him. "Not at all. Their actions pose a threat to NERV's authority at a critical juncture."

"A fraternity prank?"

Ikari's eyebrows twitched upward, "Indeed. If we are seen to go easy on these students, others may be emboldened to try for themselves."

"So you want to make an example of them," Fuyutsuki said.

"For no other reason than they are the first ones to attempt to violate the lockdown," he replied as he sat down behind his desk.

Fuyutsuki pressed his lips into a thin line, "Yes, sir. I'll pass it down the line."

Ikari nodded, "Was there anything else?"

"Not from the report, sir, but I have a concern."

The commander looked at him expectantly.

The vice commander chose his words carefully, "I'm wondering how long you're planning to keep this lockdown in place."

"As long as I can convince SEELE to allow it," he said plainly. "As long as the supplementary troops are here, we are well insulated against anything the Third Child and Inspector Kaji may try against us." He smirked, "I anticipate that the lockdown will remain in effect for quite a while."

"Are you sure that's the wisest decision?" Fuyutsuki asked. "Doesn't it run the risk of turning the civilian population against us?"

"Hardly," Ikari said. "Between the constant threat of Angel attacks and the Third Child's face on the news every night, they will remain pliable enough."

Out of arguments, Fuyutsuki nodded, "Yes, sir."

Ikari folded his hands in front of his face, "If there's nothing else, Fuyutsuki, you're dismissed."

Fuyutsuki nodded and left the room.

#

* * *

#

"We have to catch that thing?" Toji stared at the projection of the Angel. It was pretty goofy looking, he thought. Seriously, it looked like a giant eye with two hands shooting off the sides and another eye in each palm. Its stupid appearance didn't undercut the fact that the thing was _massive_. They'd thrown up projections of the Evas for the sake of scale, and the giant robots were positively dwarfed by the thing. "That's insane."

Asuka eyed the hologram warily but didn't say anything. Rei, as usual, voiced no complaints.

"Probably," Misato admitted, "but we've run the calculations, and the Evas' A.T. Fields should be able to withstand the force."

"That's not exactly comforting," Toji muttered, not taking his gaze off of the hologram. "So, what, you'll put us where it'll land and we just have to wait for it?"

"Unfortunately, no," the colonel said. "The MAGI can't predict its landing zone accurately enough." The image of the Angel was replaced by a map of Tokyo-3 and the surrounding area. A red blob covered a massive area, though it was slowly shrinking and reshaping with each passing second. "When we have a manageable enough area, we'll deploy the Evas as best we can to cover it."

"Then we just have to spot it, run to it, and hope it doesn't crush us while we try to kill it," Asuka filled in.

"Basically," Misato said apologetically. "I wish we had a better plan, but it's the best we've got."

Twenty minutes later, Toji was seated in his entry plug, trying to control his breathing while the bridge crew in Central Dogma walked him through the startup sequence. This was way too soon. He'd only been a pilot for four days, and his training consisted of a few hours every night after school. He still half expected Unit-00 to go nuts every time it started up.

The Devil had been surprisingly helpful, giving him a lot of useful pointers, but that could only do so much in the face of inexperience. He still had trouble projecting an A.T. Field for god's sake. At least he could finally move around without falling on his face. That had hurt both his pride and his head. And he was marginally talented with a progressive knife as it turned out.

"The falling Angel's been sighted," Misato announced. "All Evas get on your marks."

Toji manipulated Unit-00 into a runner's starting position. Elsewhere, Asuka and Rei did the same with Units 01 and 02.

"We can still only give you a rough estimate of the Angel's trajectory based on our observations," Misato continued. "The MAGI will guide you until the estimated distance is ten thousand meters. You'll have to rely on your judgment after that." She paused, "I'm putting my faith into all of you. Good luck."

This whole situation was so messed up. Toji wasn't a god killing giant robot pilot. That was Shinji's thing. He should be the one doing this. Why the hell would someone go and kidnap him?

"Hey," a window appeared by his right eye. Asuka glared at him, "I know what you're thinking, dummkopf. Don't freak out on us now. There'll be plenty of time for that after we kill this thing."

Toji took a deep breath to steady himself, "Who's freaking out? Trying to project your own issues onto me?"

She narrowed her eyes, but Misato's voice cut off any response she may have had. "Begin the operation."

The power cable ejected from Unit-00's back and Toji took off running in the direction the MAGI highlighted for him. He managed to stumble only a little as he got started. He spared a glance at his tactical display. Unit-01 was exactly where it was supposed to be, but Unit-02 was drifting a little from its anticipated course. He wondered briefly what the Devil was doing before turning his attention back to the course marked by the MAGI.

Over in Unit-02, Asuka grit her teeth as she willed the red behemoth to move faster. She looked over at the two countdowns running off to her side. One showed over four and a half minutes of battery life, more than enough time. The other told her that the Angel's estimated altitude was twelve thousand meters, though that was falling fast. Any second now, the MAGI would cut them loose so they could chase down the Angel. She tried to cheat her course to get as close as she could to the hill she knew the Angel would hit. It was difficult to do without drawing attention, but nobody had said anything, so she supposed she was okay.

Abruptly, the MAGI's guiding line vanished. The altimeter fell below ten thousand meters. Asuka focused her entire being on pushing Unit-02 to go faster. If she had looked down at the speed readout, she would have seen that the Eva passed Mach One in her mad dash to the hilltop.

She skidded to a stop and braced herself for the coming impact. "A.T. Field at maximum," she shouted. She could feel the surge of power as the field expanded, pushing away houses and power lines. Unit-02's hands went up to meet the falling Angel.

When the colossal Angel hit the Eva's A.T. Field, Asuka felt herself sink several feet into the hill's soil. Hexagonal outlines appeared as the two fields clashed. She screamed as she felt unbelievable pressure building up, pressing against her arms. As the Angel bore down on her, something gave way in Unit-02's arm, causing Asuka to scream even louder.

The purple mass of Unit-01 barreled in, adding the strength of its A.T. Field to Unit-02's. "Unit-00," Rei called over the communication system. "Extend your field."

"I'm trying, damn it," Toji shouted over the line as Unit-00 slid into place under the Angel. A hexagonal force field flickered into existence above Unit-00 and combined with the other two Evas'. The Angel visibly recoiled from the additional force, bouncing back into the air several hundred feet. Asuka's pained shouts eased slightly as the pressure lessened.

Unit-01 sliced the Angel's A.T. Field with its progressive knife and used its hands to tear the field open. "Pilot Suzuhara, destroy the core," Rei said, her voice strained with the effort of keeping the A.T. Field open.

"Right," he answered, withdrawing the progressive knife from its shoulder compartment. He deftly twirled the knife around in the Eva's hand and thrust it up at the glowing red sphere. It bounced off, so he drove it at the core again, and again, and again. Cracks slowly began spreading across its once pristine surface. With a fierce cry, he stabbed at the core one last time, feeling the blade sink in to the hilt.

The three pilots felt, rather than heard, the Angel's pained cry as the life faded from it. It went limp above them and draped over the Evas. For a moment, Toji thought they were going to have to crawl their way out from under the giant corpse. A second later, he was sincerely wishing that were the case as the Angel exploded. Dirt and stone vaporized as the hill was turned into a crater in an instant.

Toji groaned as he pushed Unit-00 onto its hands and knees, "Did anyone get the number of that truck?"

Misato's face appeared in a window in front of him, "Great job everyone. Looks like Toji gets an Angel kill on his file."

#

* * *

#

After the Angel was killed and the debriefings were completed, Misato took the pilots out for dinner. She had promised them a steak dinner, but the Children, mercifully, opted to hit up a ramen stand instead. She sighed in relief at the sight of the bills still in her purse after paying for the meal. A steak dinner would have taken her for broke. She would have paid for it without complaint, these kids deserved it after all, but it was still nice to not be broke.

That night, as she lay in bed, something occurred to her. Just before he disappeared, Kaji had asked her to do something. She wracked her brain trying to remember what it was. It took a few minutes, but it came to her. She was supposed to get something out of the safe in his apartment. The clock next to her bed told her that it was after two in the morning. She bit her lip uncertainly. On the one hand, whatever it was could probably wait another day before she got to it. On the other hand though, Kaji had been pretty insistent that she get to it if anything should happen to him.

At the moment she was pretty confident guessing that something had happened to him. If she was wrong and he just had to go off the grid for a while, she was sure he'd understand given the circumstances. With a tired groan, she stood up and started getting dressed. Honestly, her curiosity was going be the death of her one of these days.

In minutes, she was dressed and in the car headed for Kaji's apartment. She hadn't left a note, but she fully expected to be home long before Asuka woke up and noticed that she was gone.

Kaji's building was quiet, unsurprisingly for that time of night. She took the elevator up to his floor and made her way to the door labeled R. Kaji. Unlocking the door with the spare key he'd given her, she stepped inside…and froze just over the threshold. The place had been torn apart. The furniture had been torn open and tossed around the room. In the kitchen, someone had rifled through the cabinets and thrown their contents to the floor. She drew her sidearm and flicked off the safety.

Moving through the apartment, the rest of the place was in much the same condition. The bedroom had been thoroughly tossed. The bed was upside down, the mattress and pillows sliced open. The closet had been emptied, his clothes strewn across the room. Along one wall, the drawers had been pulled from the dresser and emptied out onto the floor.

The dresser was still in place, so it was likely that the safe hadn't been discovered. She slid it out of the way and knelt down. There was a loose patch of carpet that she pulled away, revealing a sturdy looking safe set into the floor.

What did Kaji say the combination was? The most important day of his life? She stared at the safe blankly for a minute. There was only one day she could think of that would fit that description. Second Impact. She reached for the keypad and typed in 09132000. The light next to the keypad flashed red for five seconds before fading back to yellow. Hmm. Now she was truly at a loss. If Kaji didn't consider Second Impact the most important day of his life, she had no idea what it was.

She looked around the room hopelessly. Leave it to Kaji to practically beg her to do something, and then give her too vague a clue to follow through. Eventually, her eyes fell on a cracked picture frame a few feet away. A picture of her and Kaji from college. Oh, that stupid son of a bitch. She punched in a new combination, 11122005. The yellow light turned green and a low click signified the safe unlocking. She shook her head with a small smile. November 12, 2005. Their first date.

She opened the safe with a heave. It was a surprisingly heavy safe. Right on top was a large envelope with her name written on it. That had to be what she was here for. She opened it and flipped through the stack of papers. It looked like a series of official documents and transcripts. At the top was letter from Kaji to her.

She slid the papers back into the envelope and stood up. She'd have to look through it tomorrow after she'd gotten some sleep. She was having too much trouble keeping her eyes open at the moment. She didn't feel safe staying in this apartment longer than necessary anyway. There was no telling if whoever had wrecked the place would be coming back.

* * *

A/N: And, that's chapter 7. I've got to say, I feel _a lot_ better about this one. I don't really have a whole lot to say besides I hope that you enjoyed this installment. Don't forget to check my profile from time to time, since I regularly post progress updates for the next chapter there. Drop me a review if you've got a minute. I always love getting them.

Let's do some…

Review Acknowledgements:

**KnightLance**: I'm right there with you about the last chapter. That's why this is out so soon. I wanted to make up for it. I'm really excited to start revealing Kaji's plan. As for starting your own fic, I say go for it. I always love reading new ones.

**Weapon-VII**: I won't lie; I gave some serious thought to turning Shinji into a Jason Bourne type when I first started this story. I came to the same conclusion as you about the timeframe though. I came up with something just as good though, I think.

**JDH**: Next installment, ready for your reading pleasure. Good luck with your fic. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it whenever it gets done.

**Jack**: I'm touched that you tell your classmates about my little story. Shinji seems to be handling things pretty well so far, doesn't he? Let's see how long that lasts. And Asuka? It might be good for her to watch her back a bit. Or not. I really couldn't say. That would be telling. Haha.


	8. Machination

A/N: Rumors of my death have been nonexistent. I wanted to get this out sooner, but real life got in the way. It's not the longest gap between chapters though, so I don't feel too bad about it.

**Disclaimer Theater**:

Shinji stared at the script in his hand. "Do I really have to read this?"

"Yes," Asuka growled. "You do."

"Why can't someone else do it?" he complained. "It seems more like something a girl should read."

"You have to read it," Asuka said, rolling her eyes, "because he knows I'd rip his face off if he asked me, Misato has a gun and isn't afraid to use it, and Wondergirl is…Wondergirl. So just read the damn line so we can go home."

Shinji sighed. "FourthImpact, handsome and witty as he may be, does not own _Neon Genesis Evangelion_. Please support the official release."

* * *

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion: Mitigation**_

Chapter 8: Machination

* * *

Gendo Ikari stared intently across his office. Not at anything in particular, it was really more of a contemplative gaze. His mind was miles away. Task Group Seven enjoyed considerable autonomy when on assignment. That said, they were still required to file regular, though admittedly infrequent, status reports.

The latest of these reports would be coming any minute now. Normally, such tedious things as taking reports were farmed out to one of his lower ranking minions. That wasn't an option with TG7. They were the fist of Gendo Ikari, taking their orders directly from him and only him. The number of NERV personnel not directly involved with the group who knew of its existence could be counted on one hand. As such, he personally received their reports. Besides, if a situation was critical enough to warrant TG7's deployment, he wanted knowledge of it directly from the source, not sanitized and cleaned up by a subordinate.

Amidst this thought process, the secure phone on his desk beeped unobtrusively as a small LED began flashing on its surface. He reached out and depressed the button to put the call on speakerphone. "What?" His voice was just as cold and harsh as anyone with prior experience dealing with the man would reasonably expect.

"Commander," the cool voice on the other end replied. "This is Phantom."

Ikari grunted to himself, glancing down at his wristwatch. Right on time, almost down to the second. Just as he liked it. "You have a report?"

"Yes, Commander." He sounded less than pleased about whatever he had to say. "The boat turned out to be a false lead. It seems the Inspector was smart enough to lay down false tracks to throw us off the trail."

"Agent Kaji is many things," Ikari stated. "A fool is not one of them. What happened to the boat?"

"Our intercept team located and boarded when the boat was a day out to sea," Phantom explained. "They rounded up the crew for interrogation. Agent Kaji and the Third Child did make contact, but left shortly thereafter."

"I assume," the commander commented, "that you maintained operational security after the questioning."

"Of course, sir," he responded. "The entire crew was shot and the ship scuttled."

Ikari grunted in approval. "Do you have any further leads on their whereabouts?"

Phantom cleared his throat, "Not as of yet, Commander. Wherever they went after leaving the marina, they've been smart enough to keep their heads down. We're working all of our contacts in the area to find them."

"I have the utmost confidence work." Ikari let a slight trace of a threat slip into his voice, "Do not make me feel that I have misplaced that."

To his credit, the other man's voice didn't waver in the slightest at the threat, "We'll find them, sir. I can promise you that."

"You and your men have not let me down yet," Ikari mused. "I cannot help but think that if I sent you to kill the Third while he was still in the city, this would already be over."

"I appreciate your confidence, Commander. Is there anything else you require at the moment?"

He took a brief moment to consider this, "No. Find them quickly. I await your next report."

"Yes, Commander. Over and out." The line clicked dead.

Ikari stared thoughtfully at the phone for a moment. "What do you think?" he finally asked.

Sergei Olev looked across from the desk and met the commander's gaze without flinching. "Task Group Seven comprises NERV's finest agents. I have no doubt that they will find Agent Kaji and the Third Child in due course."

"This would not be necessary if your men were capable of killing a single child," Ikari stated, his glasses reflecting dangerously.

Olev's back stiffened, bringing his impressive six and a half foot frame to full height, "There is no excuse for their failure, sir. I wish to once again extend my apologies."

Ikari didn't scoff, but it was a very near thing. "And I will once again tell you that I will consider accepting your apology when the Third Child is dead and not a moment sooner. In the meantime, the only reason you have not been suspended or worse is that there is no one who can run Section Two quite as effectively as you and I see no reason to suffer the drop in efficiency yet."

Olev did not miss the implication carried in the statement. He attempted to change the subject, "Is the vice commander still under the impression that this was a capture mission gone wrong?"

The commander nodded, "And I have no intention of telling him otherwise. He has always had a soft spot for the boy. I would rather not risk a negative reaction by letting him find out that I wanted the Third Child dead. He was very nearly pushed to his limit when he thought it was a capture order with a kill option."

The director of Section Two nodded. This was the expected response, and it seemed to have accomplished its goal of distracting the commander from his failure. "I agree. He seemed…distracted every time I dealt with him in the lead up to that operation."

Ikari twitched at that comment, so imperceptibly that Olev did not notice it. "Did he?"

"Yes, sir," the Russian man said. "At the time I attributed it to his usual reluctance to deal with me. Perhaps I was wrong though."

"Perhaps," Ikari said slowly, "if would be wise to start keeping an eye on Fuyutsuki."

"Commander?"

"Nothing heavy," Ikari said. "I see no reason to expend that many resources on this. Most likely there is nothing to find, but someone did tip off Agent Kaji about the operation. It would be foolish to ignore the most obvious possibility."

"The simplest explanation is often the best one," Olev agreed, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

"Indeed," the commander muttered. "Do it quietly. Fuyutsuki has been loyal for years and he at least deserves that courtesy. Be quiet, but be thorough."

"Of course, Commander. I will deploy a team immediately."

"Good," Ikari said. "You are dismissed."

Olev saluted and marched out of the office.

When he was alone, Ikari leaned back in his chair. "I hope I'm wrong, Professor. Yui would not like the action I'll have to take if I'm not. You meant a great deal to her."

#

* * *

#

Well this was familiar. Shinji sat on his bed in the crappy motel room waiting for something to happen. By "waiting for something to happen" of course, he meant leaning against the wall, repeatedly dropping his head back to bang against it.

He understood why Kaji insisted that he stay out of sight all the time. Really, he did, but that didn't make it any less boring. If he hadn't understood the importance of discretion before, he certainly did after seeing the news reports of an Australian boat the disappeared a day after leaving a Japanese port. His stomach churned at the very thought of it. There was no way that it was a coincidence. That boat disappeared because someone was looking for him and Kaji.

Those people didn't deserve what happened to them. It wasn't their fight. They had nothing to do with any of this outside of serving as a convenient decoy for a couple of fugitives. They were dead, more than likely, Shinji knew. He felt bile rising in his throat and ran to the bathroom, his last couple meals escaping just as he hunched over the toilet.

Then there had been the reports of another Angel attack back in Tokyo-3. Shinji had never really thought about how aware the rest of the world was of the Angels. It wasn't all that surprising though; after all it would be next to impossible to keep the attacks secret. Even less surprising was the extent to which NERV was still controlling the flow of information for its benefit. All of the footage of the battle carried a "courtesy of NERV" stamp in the corner and even Shinji recognized how heavily it had been edited

No, the thing that really surprised Shinji was that all three Evas were involved in the fight. They found another pilot already. He had mixed feelings about that. One the one hand, it was great that all three Evas were up and running. On the other though, it kind of hurt that he was so easily replaceable. As he sat on the bathroom floor, hugging the toilet bowl, he wondered who the new pilot was.

Shinji hauled himself back to his feet and stumbled over to the sink. He opened the tap and rinsed the taste of vomit out of his mouth. He wiped the sweat from his brow and went back to sit on his bed. His stomach was still doing cartwheels, but it didn't feel like he was about to hurl again.

Kaji left a while ago, Shinji realized. He glanced at the clock; a little over four hours ago, in fact. His head turned toward the nightstand. Kaji's spare gun sat at the base of the lamp, dully reflective in the incandescent glow of the bulb. Kaji said that it was loaded and ready to fire, just in case he needed it. All Shinji had to do was just aim and squeeze.

The thought brought forth a whole new wave of nausea that he had to fight down. There was no way he'd be able to kill another person, even if his own life was on the line. He stared at the compact handgun with apprehension.

He jumped at the sound of a key in the lock. The door swung open to reveal the tired looking likeness of Ryoji Kaji. Shinji watched as he dropped a small brown paper bag on his bed and made beeline for the bathroom. He could hear the sink come on for a few seconds. A moment later, Kaji emerged from the bathroom toweling off his face and looking somewhat refreshed.

"Right, Shinji," he said. "I finally got what we need to get you out of Japan." He tossed the paper bag over to the boy.

Shinji curiously opened the bag and emptied its contents out onto the comforter. He picked up a small booklet first. "A passport?"

"Yup," Kaji said as he sat down on his bed. "You have no idea how hard it was to find someone to make a decent counterfeit passport on such short notice."

He opened the passport and looked down at his own face staring back at him. He scanned the information next to the photo and nodded. Fifteen years old was close enough to reality. His appearance descriptors were all accurate. "Hideaki Watanabe?" He looked over at Kaji, who was holding a lighter up to the cigarette in his mouth. "How did you come up with that?"

"Well it had to be the same family name as mine," he explained, leaning over the side of the bed to pull one of his own fake passports out. "I've had a whole bunch of fake identities sitting around for a while, just in case. People will just ask fewer questions if they think we're related."

"That makes sense, I guess." He putdown the passport and picked up the other item that fell out of the bag, a photo ID bearing the same identity the passport. He had to admit that it looked completely real, not that he really had any clue what made a convincing counterfeit. "So does that mean we're leaving soon?"

Kaji nodded, crushing out his cigarette in an ashtray, "As soon as we're ready to go."

Shinji looked around the room. All of their things, save for a couple toothbrushes and other toiletries, were still in their bags by the door in case they needed to make a quick getaway. "So, like two minutes?"

"More or less," Kaji grinned. "Maybe a little more if you have to go to the bathroom."

He didn't, so they were out of the motel in about ninety seconds. As Shinji gathered their things out of the bathroom, Kaji locked his guns into heavy travel cases. His expression suggested that he was less than happy about having to do this. As soon as they were outside, Kaji hustled him over to a waiting taxi. As soon as they were in, Kaji nodded at the driver, who pulled away from the motel and merged into traffic.

It only took a few minutes for them to reach their destination. Kaji paid the driver and they climbed out of the car. The taxi pulled away as Shinji stared uncertainly at the building in front of them. "Are you sure about this Kaji?"

"As sure as I can be," the older man sighed. "It's the only way I can think of to actually get out of here safely."

"Still," Shinji said. "An airport? Aren't there tons of cameras and stuff to spot us? Won't they be on the lookout for us here?"

"I doubt it," Kaji responded. "NERV will want to keep our entire situation as quiet as possible. By the time they figure out we were here, we'll be long gone."

Shinji gulped, "If you're sure."

Kaji ignored his trepidation and gestured him toward the doors, "Don't forget who you are, Hideaki."

Shinji nodded and tried to absorb as much information as possible as Kaji, in hushed tones, filled him in on the Watanabe's fictional backstory. He trailed off as they approached the ticket counter. He looked at the young woman behind the counter and flashed a warm smile, "Hi there."

She bowed slightly, "Hello, sir. How may I assist you?"

"I'm hoping there's a chance we could get two tickets on the next flight to Saint Petersburg."

The woman began tapping at her keyboard. "The six-twenty flight to Saint Petersburg still has seats available."

After a few more minutes of providing (completely fake) information for the tickets, Kaji slid a credit card across the counter. A moment later, the woman returned it with two freshly printed tickets. "Have a wonderful flight," she said.

"Thanks," Kaji said as he started to walk away from the ticket counter.

"Uh, thank you," Shinji added as he raced to follow him. "Can't they track credit cards?" Shinji whispered.

Kaji tried and failed to bite back a chuckle, "Easily. They won't be looking for this one though. It's under a name nobody at NERV knows about and an address that's just a burned out apartment building."

Shinji nodded. That was fair enough. "What's in Saint Petersburg?"

"Remember when I said there were a couple stops we had to make before we got to the US? Well I've got some friends over there that can help us out."

They checked their bags, Kaji reluctantly watching as the conveyor belt carried his bag, and so his guns as well, away. They got into the security line. As annoying as it all was, Shinji actually enjoyed doing something as normal as wading through an overly long airport line. His life was decidedly devoid of normalcy, especially lately.

#

* * *

#

The apartment was dead silent, save for the occasional sound of rustling paper. Misato sat hunched over her table with her head propped up against her hand. The sight was a common one ever since the day after the last Angel. The contents of the empty envelope on the table sat in a haphazard stack as Misato pored over them.

The papers were well read at this point, but she still had trouble believing them. It wasn't that she thought Kaji was trying to mislead her by leaving the information; it was just that the information was too incredible to believe. But these were official documents, printed from the most secure directories in the MAGI systems. They had the MAGI's discreet authenticity marker and everything.

And they revealed _everything_. The truth about Second Impact. The reality of the Human Instrumentality Project and the Committee. SEELE. Everything was laid bare right at Misato Katsuragi's feet.

Her first thought, when she had first read the documents shortly after retrieving them from Kaji's, was to find Commander Ikari and to put a bullet between his eyes. Her second was to alert the government to the dark designs of NERV and its controllers. In fact, she had the phone in her hand and was halfway through the well-memorized number for the JSSDF Strategic Operations Center before a couple things gave her pause.

The first was the NERV logo emblazoned on the corner of the phone. Something told her that she would be dead before she got halfway through the call. The other thing was the letter. Kaji must have written it just before he and Shinji disappeared. She reached over and picked up the hand written note. She'd practically memorized it by now, but it helped calm her when she felt too keenly the weight of these terrible secrets. It helped her crystallize her mission, to focus on what she knew she had to do, as difficult as it would be.

_Misato,_

_ I know. It must be serious if I'm coming off of our last name basis. If you're reading this, then either something's happened to me or you've taken snooping to a whole new level. Somehow, I suspect it's the former._

_ I know how hard it must be for you to know the things that are inside this envelope, what with everything you went through during and after Second Impact. I went through a form of the same thing when these were left on my doorstep._

_ Before you do anything too drastic, take a minute. These people aren't playing a game. They've killed before to keep their secret. They've murdered powerful and high profile people without raising a single accusation or suspicion. I can't imagine they'd hesitate to kill again._

_ Even if you manage to get the truth out and get people to believe you, it will most likely be near impossible to hurt them. They've been planning to end human life and make themselves gods. The depth and complexity of their plans must make the commander's look half-assed. I mention this, not because I don't think you could figure it out, but because I know you won't take the time to think about it._

_ Don't worry though; I've got a few ideas on that that I'll be putting into action soon. If everything goes right, things will be taken care of before you have to do anything. If not, well, I have no doubt that you'll be able to figure something out._

_ And I won't tell you what to do. You and I both know that it wouldn't do much good. You're one of the smartest, strongest, and most stubborn people I know. I'm just begging you to stop and think. Come up with a plan. Come up with a backup plan. Then come up with another one. If you think you're being too careful, you're not._

_ I…don't know what happened that has you reading this, but I swear to you, if it's at all possible, I will come back to you. I've never lost faith in you, so don't lose it in me. There's something that I've been meaning to tell you for a while, years in fact. I always assumed you knew, but I never said it. I love you, Misato Katsuragi, more than I could ever hope to say. One way or another, I know we'll be together again eventually. Just keep living in the meantime. For me._

_ -Kaji_

Misato wiped away the tears that were gathering in her eyes. The paper was already stained with far too many teardrops. She hoped to the god she wasn't even sure existed that he was still alive. She had to make him pay for making her wait so long to finally hear those words from him. Her desire to do something rash and stupid had vanished completely, like it did every time she read the letter. He had only asked one thing of her. He didn't want her to do anything stupid, and she would honor that request as well as she could, no matter how hard it would be to look the commanders in the face.

She gathered the papers back up and slid them into the envelope. Then she just sat at the table, emotionally drained. After a few minutes, the front door opened and Asuka passed by the kitchen. She looked in and frowned at the slumped form of her guardian, "Misato?"

Misato looked over at the girl and gave a shaky smile, "Hey, Asuka." She wasn't sure what happened, but the last few days had yielded a noticeable improvement in Asuka's attitude. She no longer seemed on the verge of a colossal mental breakdown or a huge violent outburst. Misato wasn't sure if she'd talked to someone, or if she just dealt with it on her own, but she was thankful for the change. "How was school?"

"Boring as usual," she said with an eye roll. "The stupid teacher wouldn't know an interesting lesson if one slapped him in the face." She narrowed her eyes, "Are you okay?"

The raven haired woman took a deep, calming breath, "I'm fine. Just had a long day."

Asuka nodded, "Nothing about the Third Child or Kaji yet?" Her tone suggested that she already knew the answer.

"Not yet," Misato shook her head. As she saw Asuka's shoulders slump, her eyes darted down to the folder by her hand. Maybe she could let Asuka in on this. It would be the beginning of a plan, at least, getting an Eva pilot on her side. There would certainly be no love lost for Commander Ikari. "I need to tell you something."

Misato blinked in surprise as her words came out in stereo. She furrowed her brow as she realized that Asuka had said the same thing at the same exact moment. "Go ahead," they both said at the same time.

Misato chuckled and gestured to Asuka to proceed.

The German girl started to speak. She visibly hesitated and bit her lip. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

Asuka nodded. "What do you have to tell me?"

Misato suddenly felt herself hesitate too. How could she dump this on Asuka? She already had enough on her plate between defending humanity and Shinji's kidnapping. It could very well break her if she found out the organization she did the former for may have been responsible for the latter. Besides, Asuka wasn't one for keeping it cool. Cluing her in was more than a little likely to result in Unit-02 tearing through headquarters for a few minutes before the entry plug was ejected and she was arrested or killed. "Oh, never mind. It wasn't really that important."

They both eyed the other uncertainly, but ultimately decided not to push the issue. Asuka went into her room and Misato cracked open a beer. She stared at the can, "Goddamn it."

#

* * *

#

Seriously? It was raining again? What the hell? Lately it seemed like all it ever did in this damn city was rain. Even though Asuka was in a less volatile mood lately, she was far from happy, and the constant rain was doing little to lift her spirits. She scowled across the room, through the window at the rain, as though to let it know exactly how she felt about it.

She was hardly the only one looking through the window, though she was certainly the only one doing so with malice. Half the class had taken up Wondergirl's favorite school time pastime of looking absently across the room. Ironically, Ayanami herself was not present to lead the class in window gazing. Once upon a time, Asuka had been curious about the First Child's frequent absences, but she'd long since stopped caring.

Satisfied that the rain understood the extent of her displeasure, she turned away from the window and looked at Hikari, who seemed to be splitting her attention three ways. For the most part, she was making a valiant effort to pay attention to the sensei. Being a class representative required no less. This was interrupted by frequent glances at her openly distracted classmates, whom she regarded with displeasure but held her tongue. Then, of course, she made occasional glances toward the back of the room. Asuka didn't even need to turn around to know that she was looking at Suzuhara. She rolled her eyes

She leaned a little closer to her friend, "Why don't you just talk to him?"

Hikari started. "What?" she whispered back.

Asuka choked back a laugh, "The stooge. I don't know what you see in him, but just talk to him so you can stop making puppy dog eyes across the room."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she insisted. The blush coloring her cheeks begged to differ.

Before Asuka could respond, the bell rang, signaling the start of lunch. She waited as Hikari ushered the rest of the class out of the room. The minute the last student was out of the classroom, she grabbed her friend's elbow and all but dragged her into the hallway.

"Asuka?" the class rep asked. "Where are we going?"

"We are going to have lunch with the stooges so that you and the Fourth Child can finally get all this crap out in the open," Asuka said. "There is no way in hell I'm watching you two dance around each other again. I just can't do it."

Hikari blinked at her friend, "You want to have lunch with Toji and Kensuke?"

"Want is a strong word," the redhead shrugged. "I _will_ have lunch with them because you're my friend." She looked around, trying to remember where exactly the stooges ate lunch. She glanced out the window; the rain had tapered off for the moment, so the odds were pretty much even that they would either be in the cafeteria or on the roof. She dragged Hikari into a stairwell and up to the door to the roof.

Asuka burst through the door and into the overcast gray sunlight, Hikari a second behind her. Kensuke looked up from his lunch and turned around to see the source of the sudden disturbance. His eyes widened at the sight of the Red Devil and the class rep walking toward them. He nudged Toji, who either hadn't heard the girls' entrance or hadn't cared enough to find out what was going on. He looked over his shoulder and furrowed his brow.

"What's the matter, Devil?" Toji smirked. "Run out of souls to harvest downstairs?"

"Suzuhara," Hikari gasped, appalled by the boy's treatment of her friend.

"Why would I come up here if I had?" Asuka launched back. "Everyone knows apes don't have souls."

"Asuka," Hikari breathed. She paused in her admonishment as Asuka continued talking about something. Something was off here. There was none of the tension that usually erupted when these two got into one of their verbal spats. Toji didn't look like he'd stepped in something unpleasant just by talking to Asuka, and Asuka didn't look like she was about to rip someone's head off. A quick glance at Kensuke revealed that the bespectacled boy had noticed the difference as well. He seemed wildly frightened by the change.

Hikari tried to figure out how she felt about it. She was glad that they seemed to be getting friendlier, even if they still said such mean things to each other. Her lips twitched upward in a small smile. Then again, just how friendly had they become since they started working together at NERV? The smile faded. Then again, again, Asuka had said they she wanted to pair her up with Toji, so obviously there was nothing going on between her friend and her crush. The smile returned, a little bigger this time. Besides, Asuka was crazy about Shinji, and that hadn't changed in the slightest since he disappeared. Her smile was almost dampened by the thought of their friend, but grew again when she realized it meant that there was no chance that Asuka had an interest in Toji.

Hikari idly noted that she had never come so close to being jealous of anyone before. She stifled a giggle. "We'd like to join you for lunch, if it's not too much trouble."

Everyone stared at her, visibly confused. "I just said that," Asuka muttered.

"Not that politely, of course," Kensuke noted. Asuka glared at him.

Toji shrugged, "If you want to join us feel free. Doesn't bother me."

"How generous of you," Asuka deadpanned. She looked at Hikari, who showed no signs of moving. The German girl rolled her eyes once again and gave her friend a gentle shove to get her walking.

Hikari nervously took the last few steps toward the boys and sat down next to Toji, "Thank you for letting us eat with you," she said, blushing profusely. The jock's cheeks took on a faint tinge of their own.

Asuka sighed and shook her head; taking a seat on Hikari's other side. Hikari looked down to open her lunch box. Toji cast a questioning look over the class rep's head at Asuka. He cocked an eyebrow, the silent question was clear. _Are you doing what I think you're doing?_

Asuka's eyebrows lifted a little as well. She nodded slightly.

Toji glanced at Hikari, then back to Asuka. He offered a nod of his own. _Thanks._

Asuka shrugged and tilted her head at Hikari. _It was more for her than you._

The class rep looked up from her lunch and suddenly Toji didn't have any attention to spare. He leaned over to talk to her, giving Asuka a clear line of sight to Kensuke, who had been watching the entire silent exchange with eyes wide and mouth agape. His question was perfectly clear as well. _What the hell is going on right now?_

Asuka just rolled her eyes for the millionth time that day and started eating her own lunch. She grimaced at the bland taste. She really did miss Shinji a little more every day, the stupid baka. He'd better turn up soon.

#

* * *

#

Fuyutsuki was tired. Not "end of a long day of work" tired, but the kind of bone deep, feel-it-in-every-fiber-of-your-being kind of tired that only manifests after an overly long career in an overly stressful field. And as far as Kozo Fuyutsuki was concerned, Angel fighting and Third Impact planning qualified as well beyond overly stressful. Ikari was lucky to have ice water for blood; otherwise the pressure of running NERV would have killed him years ago.

He stretched, feeling a series of pops in his joints as if to remind him that he wasn't a young man anymore. A jaw-cracking yawn escaped his mouth. It wasn't all that late, but he wanted nothing more than to get home, pour himself a drink, and then crawl into bed and get a good night's asleep. He snorted in derision at the thought. He hadn't had one of those since the whole situation with Shinji.

It had gotten worse a couple days earlier, when one of the members of his security detail had discreetly informed him that they were under orders to report his activity to Director Olev and Commander Ikari. On one level, Fuyutsuki was pleased that at least some at NERV still liked him and respected his position and experience. On another, more pressing level, he could barely breathe from fear. Commander Ikari didn't make decisions on a whim. If he had Section Two spying on him, then he had a well thought out reason for it. The only thing that the vice commander could think of was Shinji's escape.

Ikari already knew that someone must have tipped off Agent Kaji about Section Two's operation. It seemed that he at least suspected that his second in command had committed the deed. That idea is what brought his already unpleasantly small amounts of sleep down to almost nothing. Fuyutsuki was under no illusions that he would live for long after the commander was certain that he had betrayed him.

He sighed. There was no point in dwelling on it. If Ikari was going to find out, there was little he could do to stop it. Anyway, it was time to go home and not sleep. He moved to shutdown his computer when an alert window popped up. He groaned audibly as he expanded the window to read the message from the MAGI. It wasn't outlined in red, so there wasn't a new confirmed Angel, nor was it orange to warn him of a possible Angel. The border was black, the color of a standard MAGI alert.

He paled at the image at the top of the alert, Ryoji Kaji and Shinji Ikari walking through what appeared to be an airport terminal. He read the text under the photograph. _Mass transit surveillance alert. Possible facial recognition match for fugitive files: Kaji, Ryoji (97.4% likelihood) and Ikari, Shinji (98.2% likelihood). MAGI are unanimous in recommending immediate action to facilitate capture. Targets boarded Flight 742 bound for Saint Petersburg today at 1745 hours._

Fuyutsuki stopped reading and stared in horror. There was no good way out of this. Staying silent wouldn't do any good, since this would undoubtedly have gone to Sergei Olev as well. The MAGI's records would show that he had opened the alert, so if he didn't report it, Ikari would almost certainly take it as proof of his involvement in Shinji's escape. If he reported it, then he was putting Shinji in danger again. Ultimately, he rationalized that if he didn't report it, Olev would, and Shinji would be in just as much danger. If Fuyutsuki could keep himself alive, he at least might be in a position to help the boy later. If there was a later.

With a clenched jaw, he picked up his phone. The call was answered on the third ring. "Yes?"

Fuyutsuki forced his voice to remain steady as he replied. "Commander, I've just received an alert from the MAGI's transit surveillance systems. The facial recognition software has picked up a match for Agent Kaji and the Third Child."

"I see." The commander's voice betrayed nothing about his thoughts on this development. "Where are they?"

The vice commander scanned the rest of the alert and filled in the commander, who listened silently. He didn't speak until Fuyutsuki finished his explanation. "Very well. I shall see to it that Task Group Seven is alerted." The click alerted the older man that Ikari had hung up.

"You're welcome," he whispered bitterly, slumping back into his chair. He hadn't thought it was possible, but this day had found a way to drain a little more energy out of him. He forced himself to his feet. It was well beyond time to go home for the night.

#

* * *

#

Planes were better than hotel room, Shinji supposed. Not a lot better, mind you, but at least there was plenty to occupy his time. He could look at other people, not that they were particularly interesting, but it was an option that had scarcely been available to him since leaving Tokyo-3. He decided not to do that though, none of the passengers were doing anything worth watching and Kaji's warnings about his father's spies were still fresh in his mind.

Instead he had turned his attention to the computer embedded in the back of the seat in front of him. It held a massive selection of movies and television shows to watch. He had spent the last forty five minutes scrolling through the offerings, but nothing had caught his eye so far. He was running out of alphabet, too.

He sighed. At least there was free music to stream too, including a considerable selection of classical, which was currently playing through the crappy headphones the flight attendant handed him at the beginning of the flight. It was certainly pleasant to at least be listening to music again. He'd been missing the comfort of his SDAT quite a bit.

Reaching the end of the movie list, Shinji frowned. There wasn't one thing that he felt like watching in that massive list. He leaned back in his seat and cast a glance over at Kaji. The unshaven man wasn't watching anything either. He hadn't even taken his headphones out of the little plastic package. Shinji thought he looked tense, and if there was one thing Shinji was good at recognizing in people, it was tension. His back was perfectly straight and his eyes darted around, taking in the entire cabin without looking suspicious.

"Kaji?" Shinji's voice was soft, uncertain.

Kaji started, turning to look at the boy. He frowned at the use of his real name, but didn't comment on it. "What's up, kid?"

Shinji furrowed his brow. He hadn't actually had anything he wanted to say, now that he thought about it. There was one question that had been lurking around in the recesses of his mind for a while now. Now seemed as good a time as any to ask it. "How did you get so good at this stuff?"

The man cocked his head curiously, "What do you mean?"

"Sneaking around and stuff," he explained. "Getting around without being noticed."

Kaji laughed quietly. "Surviving when it's you against the world?" he finished.

Shinji nodded.

He took a moment to consider the question. He scratched under his chin. "My brother taught me everything I know."

That left Shinji genuinely surprised, "You have a brother?"

A somber look crossed the older man's face, "Not anymore."

"Oh," Shinji said. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right."

"You don't have to tell me about it," he said.

They fell silent for a few moments, Kaji staring thoughtfully at the ceiling of the plane. "I was about your age when Second Impact happened," he finally said.

Shinji looked up, shocked that Kaji had started speaking again. "You were? I never really thought about it."

Kaji nodded, "I'm sure you've learned about it in school, but you really can't imagine how…chaotic it was back then."

Shinji found himself wishing that he'd paid attention to more of Sensei's lectures at school.

"The Japanese government managed to stay together," he continued, "which is something that a lot of countries can't say. There wasn't much they could do though." His hand twitched and Kaji desperately wished that they allowed smoking on planes. "A lot of people had died during Impact, and for years, there was pretty much always some war or another going on. A lot of people were dead, but there was still barely enough food and other resources to go around."

The boy found himself entranced by Kaji's story.

"Pretty much my entire family was killed by Second Impact, and the rest didn't survive for long afterward." Kaji was clearly in another place now, lost in the past. "It was just me and my brother, struggling to survive. There weren't enough jobs to go around, and we refused to go to the refugee camps. Those places were hell on earth. You were just as likely to get a knife in your back while you slept as anything else."

"How did you survive?"

Kaji chuckled darkly, "Well, if you couldn't find work and you wouldn't go to the camps, you did whatever you had to. Before Impact, my brother was always a bit of a troublemaker. I can't even tell you the number of times he came home in the back of a police car. Anyway, he was a few years older than me and he looked after me when everything went to hell. He taught me to do whatever it took to survive. He showed me how to get in and out of places without being noticed, how to get people to trust you so they'd do what you wanted." His eyes grew misty at the memories.

"What happened to him?" Shinji whispered.

"We fell in with a gang eventually, nothing violent, just a bunch of kids like us helping each other get by. They sent me to steal food from a JSSDF outpost one day. The troops captured me and started beating me. They said they'd kill me if I didn't tell them where the rest of the gang was hiding out. I tried to hold out, but they kept beating me and I broke." Kaji's voice cracked, just a little. "They went out and killed everyone before they let me go."

Shinji's jaw dropped. "They…killed them?" That was insane. "The JSSDF murdered your brother?"

Kaji scratched at his cheek. "It was a different time. The government didn't have the men or money or time to keep a tight rein on the military."

"I'm sorry." It was all Shinji could think to say. He looked down thoughtfully.

"Thank, kid," Kaji said with a small lopsided grin, "but I made peace with it a long time ago." He watched as Shinji tried to process the story he'd just heard. "You know," he finally said. "You and I aren't that different."

Shinji looked up, visibly confused, "How do you figure that?"

"We're both survivors," he explained. "The world tries its damndest to bring us down, but we just keep going, no matter what."

Shinji cocked his head to one side as he considered that. It was true enough he supposed. The fact that he was alive was a fairly compelling argument for that. Between the Angels and his father, the world did seem to be trying to kill him lately. "Do you really think we'll get to go home eventually?"

Kaji met Shinji's eyes and nodded confidently, "I do. I promised you that we'd make this all right, and I intend to keep that promise."

Shinji relaxed, visibly relieved.

"Besides," he smirked, "we've got to get you back to the redhead waiting for you."

Shinji blushed. "Yeah, I think you're right about that."

Kaji smiled. "Get some sleep. It's going to be a long flight."

#

* * *

#

"Are you sure about this, Commander?" Needless to say, Fuyutsuki hadn't made it out of headquarters before Ikari summoned him to his office. Now he found himself standing next to the commander in the private elevator to the holographic teleconference room.

Ikari pushed his glasses back into place. "Completely certain. This is the most reasonable course of action." Unbeknownst to Fuyutsuki thanks to the reflective lenses, the bearded man regarded his second in command through the corner of his eye.

Fuyutsuki frowned. "I'm not sure I understand that, Commander. I've been running over it in my head, and I don't see it."

"We've sent Task Group Seven to intercept them in Russia," Ikari said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yes, sir," the vice commander said. He cleared his throat. "I know that, but why do we have to tell the committee that the Third Child had betrayed us?"

Ikari noticeably suppressed a sigh. "Agent Kaji is still with the Third Child. That means there is every possibility that apprehending them will involve a firefight. Something like that in or around a Russian airport will not go unnoticed. Both Agent Kaji and the Third Child are known to the committee."

"And in that situation, they would want to know why NERV operatives got into a shootout with two critical personnel who were believed missing," Fuyutsuki finished.

"Correct," Ikari intoned. "It is unavoidable now. We need to provide the old men with a story to keep them off our backs. They do not need to know the full truth behind the Third's betrayal, of course. Project Mitigation should stay off of their radar."

Something else occurred to Fuyutsuki, "What does this mean for the lockdown?" The elevator had stopped several seconds earlier, but neither man moved. Fuyutsuki was still digging for answers and Ikari never hesitated to keep the old men waiting for a few extra minutes.

"It means it should be even easier to convince SEELE to let us keep it in place even longer," Ikari said. "When it becomes an issue of defending against a potentially crippling external attack they will be all too eager to preserve it."

"So you and SEELE will be on the same page with regards to the lockdown?"

"Hmm," Ikari muttered. "It would seem so."

"I'm not sure how much longer the people will tolerate being trapped in the city," Fuyutsuki said.

One of Ikari's eyebrows arched upward, "The people will tolerate whatever I want them to tolerate. All it requires is a little theater."

Fuyutsuki frowned, "Sir?"

"The easiest way to make people accept inconveniences is to dangle their safety in front of them. A few carefully spread rumors and all of the dissent will fall silent quickly enough."

Ikari stepped out of the elevator and took up his position in the center of the room as black monoliths faded into existence around him. Fuyutsuki stood against the wall as always, feeling even less at ease than when the day had started.

* * *

A/N: Chapter 8, bagged and tagged. I'll be honest, it's late and I'm can barely keep my eyes open. I'm going to finish up this note and the acknowledgements and push this to the web for you all. I don't really have anything to say about this chapter. I feel okay about it. Let me know what you think. Shoot me a review.

I summon…

Review Acknowledgements (In attack mode):

**Weapon-VII**: Gendo really is a major prick, isn't he? Secret police is exactly what I was going for with Section Two, so I'm glad that came through

**JDH**: Phantom is a bastard coated bastard with bastard filling. You'll be seeing quite a bit of him in the coming chapters. As for Toji, I thought about making it someone else, but I loved all the potential interaction between him and Asuka too much.

**KnightLance**: I wasn't particularly going for funny, but I also wasn't going for deadly serious either, so I'm going to count it as a fortunate occurrence. I've personally always had a bit of a soft spot for Kaji as a character, in case you couldn't tell from the massively expanded role I've given him. I'm glad I've managed to make him entertaining.

**Jack**: Seems the cracks are starting to appear in Shinji's calm a bit as everything sinks in. And where Future!Shinji and Future!Asuka are concerned, expect to learn more about them in the next chapter or two.

**Alistair**: To be honest, I'm not overly thrilled with how I handled the first couple chapters. At the time, I justified it in my head as making the eventual divergence that much more jarring. I probably would have found a different way to handle it if I were starting out today. But whatever. I'm pleased that you stuck with it. Enjoy.

**Lachesis**: Haha. I've got to tell you, I didn't think anyone was enjoying my ridiculous disclaimers. I was about to give up on them and go to normal ones before I got your review. I hope you enjoy (the story and the disclaimers) as we move forward.

**Watchdog**: You definitely don't have to worry about Shinji becoming a Jason Bourne, but he'll start taking more of a front seat sooner rather than later. With Asuka and Toji, the way I figured it, Toji has a kind of bluntness that would resonate with Asuka while she was in that condition. And Kensuke…he keeps popping up, but never seems to do anything, doesn't he? Is it just a weak attempt to not completely ignore a character, or will he do something soon? Guess you'll have to keep reading to find out.


	9. Expansion

A/N: Once I managed to get this one started, it flowed pretty easily. I had a couple things distracting me for the past week though. You can blame American presidential politics and my introduction to _Cowboy Bebop_ for my failure to deliver sooner.

**Disclaimer Theater**:

Gendo Ikari stared dispassionately at the camera in front of him with hands folded in front of him, covering the lower half of his face. He looked down at the script on his desk. "Fourth Impact asked me to read this disclaimer for chapter nine of his little story. I only agreed in order to let him think that he is in charge of the scenario. Of course he has no actual control over _Neon Genesis Evangelion_." The evil grin on his face was concealed by his hands. "I control it all. Even Gainax is unaware of the extent of my power."

From off camera, someone cleared his throat. "Commander," Fuyutsuki said. "You do realize that the camera is rolling and we're broadcasting live, right?"

Ikari's face remained as unreadable as ever. "Crap."

* * *

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion: Mitigation**_

Chapter 9: Expansion

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, please kindly put your tray tables and seat backs in their upright and locked position," the pleasant voice requested over the plane's PA system. "We are about to begin our final descent into Saint Petersburg."

Shinji yawned and stretched out as best he could in the cramped confines of his seat. He had tried to take Kaji's advice and get some sleep. It didn't work out very well. Every time he managed to doze off, he would inevitably jolt awake a few minutes later. The end result was to leave him even more tired than he'd been before trying to get some sleep.

Kaji, he noted, hadn't even tried to get to sleep. As soon as their conversation ended, the man had gone back to his careful survey of the other passengers. Obviously, nothing jumped out at him as overtly threatening, which was good since there was precious little he would be able to do at thirty thousand feet.

A flight attendant passed down the aisle collecting trash. As she passed, Shinji looked at Kaji. "So, um, what happens when we land? Are your friends meeting us at the airport?"

Kaji frowned thoughtfully. He glanced past Shinji and out the window, toward the steadily approaching ground. "We get the bags and get out," he said quietly. "Then we find somewhere out of the way to lay low."

"When are we meeting your friends?" Shinji asked.

"I don't know yet," the man admitted. "I have to get in touch with them when we find a place to sleep."

Shinji's jaw dropped. "Wait. You mean you haven't even talked to them yet?"

"There wasn't a secure way to contact them while we were still in Japan," Kaji explained. "Most likely, NERV hasn't tapped the nation's communications grid, and even if they did, it would take a while for even the MAGI to sift through it all, but I don't want to push our luck." He paused for a moment, "We already did that enough by going through the airport."

Shinji gripped the seat's armrests as the plane touched down on the runway with a jolt. "And now that we're out of Japan?"

"We have a lot more leeway," he replied. "As long as we don't draw attention to ourselves, we'll be fine. NERV can't possibly monitor communications everywhere."

As much as he wanted to, Shinji couldn't find any significant flaws in the man's thinking. "So we're safe now?"

"Hardly," Kaji said with a dark chuckle. "Your father probably has his best men looking for us. As incompetent as Section Two can be at times, it would be stupid to underestimate them. I can tell you I'll feel a lot better when I get a weapon in my hand again." A quick glance left him fairly confident that nobody was paying attention to their conversation. "And then there's SEELE."

Shinji blinked in confusion, "Who?"

Ah. Right. Shinji still had no idea about his father's true goals, about the sick bastards looking to destroy the human race. He hadn't tried to find out what was going on beyond a couple panicked questions while they were fleeing Tokyo-3. Kaji had been too distracted with finding a way out of the country to even think about explaining it to him. That was going to have to change. "That's a conversation that will have to wait until we're somewhere relatively safe," Kaji answered. "I'll explain everything I know then."

Shinji seemed to accept this. "Okay."

The conversation came to a halt after that. They sat in silence as the plane taxied to its terminal and only exchanged a few words as Kaji pulled their one carryon bag out of the overhead bin. They followed the tired looking mass of humanity out of the plane and into the airport.

From the moment they stepped out of the plane, Kaji's eyes were in constant motion, scanning the crowd for anything suspicious. They weaved their way through the throng toward the baggage claim. The spy had been dreading this from the moment they'd checked their bags. There were so many people standing around waiting for their luggage that it would be basically impossible to spot any suspicious behavior.

He spotted their bags and hurriedly grabbed them from the carousel, handing one to Shinji. It took some time to get through the line at customs, but the bored-looking official didn't give them any trouble. When they were through, Kaji tilted his head in the direction of the nearest bathroom and started walking. Shinji nodded and followed. In the bathroom, Kaji stepped into a stall and immediately unzipped his bag. He opened the gun case, pulling out the two handguns inside. The 9mm got tucked into the back of his waistband, where his jacket concealed it, while the smaller holdout pistol went into his ankle holster.

He stepped out of the stall to find Shinji at the row of sinks washing his hands. Kaji checked the mirror to make sure the guns weren't making noticeable bulges in his clothes. Satisfied that they would go unnoticed, he led Shinji out of the bathroom. "Stay close," he whispered.

Shinji nodded, eyes darting around nervously. Kaji kept looking around in a much calmer, more controlled fashion. Everything seemed fine at first, but then he saw it. Up on the raised walkway, a man leaned against the railing speaking into his collar and very pointedly not looking in their direction. It was only years of experience that kept Kaji from coming to a dead stop at the lackluster attempt at subtlety. Sheer discipline kept him from grabbing Shinji and running out of the airport.

He forced himself to keep studying the crowd. If the guy upstairs was a spotter, there would be at least a few others around to ambush them. There. And there. Two people making their way through the crowd in their direction but looking everywhere but at them. There would be at least one more coming from behind. He judged the distance to the exit and the speed of their would-be ambushers. He and Shinji wouldn't make it at this rate. He sped up slightly and Shinji followed suit next to him. "Don't look around," he whispered to the boy. "Don't react, but get ready to run. Cough once if you understand."

Shinji coughed.

"We'll make our way to the line of cabs," he said. "Get in the front one as fast as possible."

They were about twenty feet from the exit, and if they kept walking, their pursuers would intercept them in half that distance. There was nothing else to do about it, then. Kaji took a deep breath. "Now," he hissed to Shinji. The two instantly took off at a run.

#

* * *

#

The rapid clacking of a keyboard always served as a soothing sound to Kensuke Aida. Sure, he was perfectly aware of the fact that most people found it more irritating than soothing, but Kensuke had long ago realized that he and the average person didn't see eye to eye on most things. Most people didn't have the slightest appreciation for the brilliance and engineering complexity that went into designing and building most modern military hardware, from a fighter jet straight up to the Evangelions. Most modern VTOLs, for instance, were so insanely sophisticated that they were completely disassembled and reassembled every sixty days to ensure that none of the parts had degraded or become overstressed. Truly, Kensuke was blessed to live in such a technologically awesome time. If appreciating that fact got him labeled a military nut by everyone at school, then so be it.

But back to the clacking of the keyboard. It was not quite as widely known that Kensuke considered himself a somewhat talented hacker. That wasn't unfounded bravado either. There were precious few systems that he was unable to access, just ones he was unwilling to. Specifically, he avoided anything even tangentially related to NERV.

The bespectacled boy shuddered at the memory of the day, a year and a half ago, that had brought about that particular lesson. He'd broken into NERV's public webpage, just for the personal bragging rights of saying he got into a NERV owned system. It wasn't like there would be any secure data to access, he justified at the time. It probably wouldn't even be terribly difficult.

It was a fifteen hour hack. He got in, saw that he was in fact in control of the website, and got out. In all, he was in the system for barely thirty seconds. NERV security showed up at his door a minute later. After a couple hours of threatening jail time and treason charges, they gave him an unequivocal warning to stay away from any NERV systems in the future and handed him a check for eighty thousand yen. For helping reveal weaknesses in their security, they told him, but they wouldn't be so grateful in the future.

It was simultaneously the proudest and most terrifying day of his life. His father had grounded him for three months, unsurprisingly, though Kensuke didn't miss the almost-proud smile on his face, or the way he muttered about his son's intelligence as he walked away.

At the moment, he was trying to break into the network of a bank a few blocks away from his house. It was a surprisingly secure network, which was the only thing Kensuke cared about. He was what was called a white hat hacker. He was in it for the challenge of breaking the system, not for money or anything like that. Once inside a system, he never did anything besides poke around for a few minutes.

Every couple months, this particular bank would upgrade its security infrastructure, and Kensuke would try to break into it. This update was proving more resilient than usual. Not that it would thwart him, of course. He felt fairly confident that he was almost through. Right around the ninety minute mark, the system folded like a cheap suit. "Gotcha," he whispered excitedly, pushing his glasses up his nose.

He spent a few minutes looking around the systems. Maybe five minutes went into skimming the list of the day's transactions. That proved unbelievably boring, so he made the transition to the security footage. People did some hilarious things when they thought nobody was looking, and the camera in an ATM made it easy to see them.

It took a few minutes of randomly opening video files to find something good, but he found a week old video of a guy with his finger buried in his nose. Then he found footage of a drunken guy staggering past the ATM and falling flat on his face.

Eventually, he tried to open a file from a few weeks ago. A file not found notification popped up instead. Kensuke frowned. Why would they delete security footage? That was hardly standard procedure. This was worth poking around for.

It took twenty minutes, but he managed to dig up the remains of the file. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure that this video never saw the light of day, but they didn't overwrite the sectors of whatever hard drives the video was stored on.

Grinning with his triumph, he brought up the resurrected video. At first, it seemed like standard security footage from an ordinary evening. Then someone walked into the frame a few feet away from the camera, moving purposefully across the frame. Kensuke furrowed his brow. What was the point of going to so much trouble to hide this video?

That was when he recognized the person in the frame. That was Shinji, all dressed up for something. Eyes wide, Kensuke looked at the date stamp in the corner of the video. It was from the day Shinji went missing. This must have been him on his way to his date with Asuka.

A black NERV SUV skidded into the shot, coming to a stop a few feet away from Shinji. Kensuke watched the four agents climb out of the SUV and start talking to the Third Child. "Holy crap," he whispered as the agents drew their guns and aimed at Shinji. He shot forward in his seat as a sports car flew into the shot and one of the agents dropped to the ground.

The other three agents dropped and a man stepped out of the car. Kensuke paused the video and squinted to make out the man's face. "Is that…that Kaji guy?" He hit the play button again and watched Kaji rifle through one of the dead men's pockets as Shinji got into the car. Kaji joined him in the car and they drove off as the video came to a stop.

Kensuke stared at the video, stunned beyond action. NERV, or at least some of its agents, tried to kill Shinji. What the hell? Not taking his eyes off the screen, he fumbled around in his desk drawer for a flash drive. Inserting the drive, he copied the video over. He spent an hour covering up his digital footprints and hiding any trace of the intrusion.

Yanking the Ethernet cable out of the back of his computer, Kensuke sat on the floor and started to hyperventilate. This was so bad. Did Asuka know about this? Did Toji? Hell, did anyone at NERV? He stared at the flash drive in his hand. He had to tell someone about this. He picked up his phone and dialed.

#

* * *

#

Almost as soon as Shinji and Kaji started running, the men moving to intercept them took off as well, shoving their way through the crowd. Kaji burst through the doors and into the late morning sunlight, Shinji half a step behind. People stared in shock as they sprinted past, but made no effort to stop them. Most of them didn't bother getting out of the way either, forcing Kaji to weave through them.

The two reached the taxi at the front of the line and practically dove into it. Kaji barked something in Russian and the cab started to move. He looked at Shinji, whose breathing was slowly returning to normal. "Try to stay low." Satisfied that Shinji wouldn't go sticking his head out, Kaji carefully peered through the back window. There were six men forcing their way through the crowd trying to get a glimpse of the cab as it pulled away.

He sighed and ran a hand over his face, noting the overgrown state of his usually carefully crafted five o'clock shadow. Shaving hadn't exactly been on the top of his list of concerns lately. They wouldn't manage to spot the car's license plate. There were too many people and too many cars between them. No, the real danger would come from any others that may be stationed at a different vantage point, and he was positive that there were others. It would be wise to ditch this taxi as soon as possible.

"Damn it," Kaji whispered. "I didn't think they'd be able to find us so fast." His mind was racing, trying to come up with a new course of action. From this point on, they had to assume that they were being watched constantly. He glanced out the window. The car was driving parallel to the airport's enormous parking lot, heading for the exit.

Shinji started to say something, but his head whipped around to look at the driver. The color drained from his face.

"What's wrong?" Kaji started to ask. He didn't even finish the first word as he looked toward the driver. To the spy's honed reflexes, it was like the driver was moving in slow motion, twisting in his seat and bringing the gun to bear on Shinji at a snail's pace. Before his conscious mind reacted, Kaji shoved Shinji out of the way. His gun was already in his hand and halfway to being pointed at the driver's face.

The two men fired at the same time. Kaji grunted as the bullet drove into his arm. The back of the driver's head exploded. Shinji looked up from the floor of the car, his pale face tingeing a sickly shade of green at the sight. He looked over and gasped. Kaji's face was screwed up with pain as blood leaked down his arm. "You're hurt."

"It's not bad," Kaji said, already opening the car door. "It didn't hit the bone. Let's go. We have to keep moving."

Shinji followed him, all too glad to get out of the car and away from the corpse. Kaji was crouched low and making a beeline for the parking lot, gun held firmly in his uninjured hand. Shinji stayed low as well as they slipped around to the far side of the nearest parked car. "What do we do now?"

Kaji winced as his arm gave a particularly painful throb. "Try to find a car to steal," he said. "Maybe get our hands on a cell phone so I can call for help." He paused as the sound of running became audible. "I'm going to pick off as many of them as I can in the meantime." He pointed down the row of vehicles and cast a pointed glance at Shinji.

The boy understood his cue and took off down the row, making sure to keep himself low and out of sight. Kaji crept around to the front end of the car and looked over the hood. Their pursuers had slowed to a cautious walk and drawn their guns. They broke up into pairs and went down separate rows to search. Kaji braced the gun against the hood of the car and aimed at one of the agents. One shot rang out and the man dropped. A series of gunshots and a wave of shouts answered as Kaji ducked back down and ran after Shinji.

He caught up with him and grabbed his arm as several gunmen stepped into his vision. He fired several shots, forcing them to take cover. In that second, he dragged Shinji out through the open lane and toward the relative safety of another row of cars. The one man left watching that row took a slug between the eyes and dropped without a sound.

Going prone on the asphalt, Kaji looked under the truck they were using as cover to see what was going on. It seemed that most of their pursuers had converged around the newest corpse. Perfect. He motioned for Shinji to follow and took off running through three more rows of parked cars, putting extra space between them and their pursuers. Pausing for a moment, Kaji tried to think tactically. By now, they'd have realized that they weren't back there, so they would be spreading out again. They knew he was armed, so if they weren't completely brain dead they would be quieter from now on.

He glanced under the car, easily spotting the two pairs of feet slowly making their way toward them. He forced himself to relax; there was no point in being afraid. Fear is the mind-killer, and Shinji was counting on him to get them out of this.

They ran across a couple more rows. "There's no way we'll be able to get out of here on our own," Kaji said. "There's going to be more of them watching every way out of here. I need a phone."

Shinji dropped to the pavement and looked around. "There," he said, pointing toward something. "There's a car pulling in."

Kaji peeked around the corner of the van to look in the indicated direction. A heavyset man in a suit stepped out of said car with an attaché case in one hand and a cell phone held against his head in the other. "Perfect." He started in the man's direction, settling into a brisk walk. Running would attract his attention, but walking left them too exposed to the men trying to kill them.

The guy didn't notice the pair approaching him, so he never knew what hit him as Kaji struck him at the base of his neck, sending him into unconsciousness. In one smooth motion, Kaji caught the phone before it hit the ground and pressed the end call button.

He looked down to study the phone as he tried to remember the correct phone number. His thought process was interrupted as Shinji grabbed him and pulled him to the ground. A bullet shattered the window, passing through the space Kaji's head had occupied just a second before. Kaji instinctively sent two shots in the shooter's direction. The first ricocheted off a car's bumper, but the second struck the target square in the chest. He dropped with a dull thud.

"Thanks, kid," Kaji grunted as they took off running yet again. When they stopped, he slumped against the car for a minute. He was starting to feel the blood loss. He looked at the cell phone again and dialed a phone number. "Come on," he whispered as he listened to the ringing from the other end.

A wave of gunfire forced them to move again, Kaji holding the phone in his wounded arm, teeth grit against the pain. The bullet was still in there. The phone kept ringing. "Answer your fucking phone," he hissed.

"Da?" a voiced finally answered.

"About damn time," Kaji snapped in Russian.

"Kaji?" the shock was audible in the man's voice.

"Yeah, Vasily, it's me," he said. "I'm in town and could use a little help." The gunshot aimed at the assassin who'd just spotted them served as the punctuation to his statement.

#

* * *

#

"This better be good, Ken," Toji grumbled as he stepped out of the predawn chill and into the warmth of the Aida residence. "I have a ton of crap to do today before my synch test tonight." It was true, Toji had a brutally long day ahead of him and he didn't appreciate being woken up at three thirty in the morning. "So what in all that is holy is so important that it couldn't wait until a more normal hour?"

"Well," Kensuke began in a hushed tone, hurriedly shutting and locking his front door, "I was online, poking around a bit, you know, keeping my skills sharp."

"Oh, god," Toji groaned. "You didn't hack into NERV's computers again, did you?"

"What? No…" Kensuke started to protest before Toji cut him off.

"Because I don't care if I'm a pilot," he said. "They were pretty clear last time. I don't think I'll be able to help you out."

"Will you listen?" the military otaku hissed as he led his friend into his room. "It wasn't a NERV system. It was a bank."

Toji's bemusement was plainly written on his face. "And what did you get from a bank that made it necessary to wake me up this early?" His eyes widened. "Please tell me you didn't steal any money."

Kensuke rolled his eyes. "It was the security footage from the ATM." Toji opened his mouth to say something, so Kensuke kept talking, "Somebody went to a lot of trouble to delete one of the video files. That's not exactly SOP, so I dug it up to see what it was."

"And what was it?" Toji asked halfheartedly. He was seriously considering going back to sleep right here on Ken's floor.

The sandy haired boy inserted a flash drive into the computer and pulled out the desk chair for his friend. "See for yourself," he said, opening a video file.

Reluctantly, Toji dropped into the chair and hit play. He watched the video dispassionately. Then he watched it again with a bit more interest. Then he watched it a third time, unable to believe what he was seeing. He looked at Ken, who was watching his reaction anxiously. "Please tell me this is a joke."

"Afraid not," Kensuke replied with a shake of his head.

Toji turned back to the monitor, staring at the final frame of the video. He pressed a hand to his forehead. "But that's…"

"I know," Ken supplied, already knowing what Toji was about to say.

"And they tried…"

"Yeah."

"Then…"

"I think so."

"Oh, god," Toji groaned, leaning forward in the chair. He sat up abruptly, "We have to tell someone."

"Who can we tell?" Kensuke asked helplessly.

"I don't know," the pilot admitted. "Someone at NERV."

"Toji, for all we know, NERV might be responsible. What if we tell them and they decide to send people after us?"

"What about Misato?" Toji suggested as he rose to his feet and started to pace. "There's no way she was a part of it."

"Probably not…" he said slowly.

"Oh, come on. You think Misato was in on trying to kill Shinji?"

Kensuke took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know. I can't imagine that she was either, but she did get promoted right after he disappeared. She went up two ranks at once. That's unheard of."

Toji stared at his friend in disbelief.

"I'm just saying we need to be careful."

"You're right," the taller boy sighed. He sat on the edge of Kensuke's bed and stared at the floor. "There's got to be someone we can tell."

"I've been trying to think of someone who I know we can trust."

A few seconds later, Toji's head snapped up. "Sohryu," he said.

"What?" Kensuke blinked in confusion. "What about the Red Devil?"

"We have to tell her," Toji said.

The bespectacled boy frowned. "Are you sure we can…"

"Yeah," Toji cut him off. "I'm positive that we can trust her with this."

Kensuke watched his friend curiously for a moment. "What happened with the two of you? You guys just started tolerating each other all of a sudden."

It took a moment before Toji responded. He grimaced, trying to figure out how to answer that. "We…came to an understanding," he finally said. "It was on the day they first put me in the Eva."

"Oh," Kensuke muttered. "You become a pilot and you two are buddies all of a sudden?"

"Not exactly," he sighed. "But that's gonna have to wait. She and I might have a truce, but she's still the Red Devil. I like my balls where they are, thanks."

"Fair enough," Kensuke said, shifting uncomfortably at the mere thought of testicular relocation. He paused. "We can tell her if you really want."

Toji nodded. The two watched each other uncertainly for a moment. Neither made any move to do anything. "I'm not calling her," they both said simultaneously.

Kensuke fell into his desk chair with a groan and Toji buried his face in his hands.

#

* * *

#

Shinji watched apprehensively as Kaji finally put away the pilfered cell phone. He'd been speaking to whoever it was for the better part of ten minutes in a mixture of Russian and Japanese. "Well?" he asked anxiously.

"They're on their way," Kaji said, wincing at the pain in his shoulder. He slumped against a pickup truck. "We just have to make it for another twenty minutes or so."

Shinji eyed the man uncertainly. "Can…can you make it that long? You're losing a lot of blood."

"It might be a near thing," he admitted. "I need something to use as a tourniquet."

Shinji looked around frantically for a second, before it occurred to him. He whipped off his belt and offered it to Kaji. "How about this?"

"Perfect," he said, taking the belt and wrapping it around his upper arm. He pulled the end as tight as he could end held it in his teeth so he could fasten it. Blood welled from the wound for a moment before tapering off to a trickle. "There. That should hold me for a while."

Shinji pretended not to notice the pained wavering in the man's voice.

"Now let's get moving," Kaji said, glancing up and down the next row of parked cars. They'd doubled back a few minutes earlier in hopes of throwing off their trackers. They sprinted into the cover provided by a large sedan. They stopped for a moment as Kaji plotted their next move. A sudden grunt brought them spinning around to find one of the agents vaulting over from the other side of the sedan and landing between the two of them.

A sudden elbow to the face sent Shinji reeling backwards. A brutal kick flew at the side of Kaji's leg. The scruffy man managed to stay on his feet but dropped the gun in the process. He sent a fist into the man's gut, following up with an uppercut when he doubled over.

Shinji recovered from the elbow and spun around when he heard a click behind him. Another of the assassins had snuck up behind them and was aiming a gun at Shinji. He froze for an instant before he managed to react. Before he had a chance to talk himself out of it, he dashed at the gunman with an animalistic growl. Shinji tackled him, slamming his head into the guy's gut. He dropped his gun and fell backward as the air left his lungs with a _whoosh_.

Kaji grabbed his attacker roughly by the hair while he was recovering from the uppercut. He slammed the man's face into the roof of the sedan. A _crack_ told Kaji that the bastard's nose had broken. He forced his head through the sedan's window for good measure before letting the attacker's limp form fall to the ground.

Shinji followed the second agent to the ground and knelt on his chest. His conscious mind wasn't fully aware as he rained punch after punch on the man's face. He didn't snap out of it until Kaji laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Shinji," Kaji said. "We have to keep moving."

Shinji looked down at the bloodied face under him and his blood stained knuckles. He pushed himself to his feet. "I…I don't…couldn't stop myself."

Kaji bit his lip. "It's okay, Shinji. Grab his gun. It can't hurt to have it just in case."

Shinji nodded numbly and picked up the gun, uncomfortable with the weight in his hand. Both of them froze as the sounds of sirens began to carry across the parking lot. "Your friends?" Shinji asked hopefully.

"No," Kaji muttered. "You won't know they're here until they're right in front of us."

Shinji looked around, watching for any more attackers. "So that's…"

"The police, yeah." They ran to a new row of cars, which turned out to be the last one of the lot. A chain link fence was in front of them. "This might get a bit messier before we get out of here."

A bullet embedded itself in the car a few inches away from Kaji. He spun around and laid down a burst of suppressive fire. One shooter went down and two more dove for cover behind separate vehicles. "Over the fence, Shinji," Kaji called over his shoulder. "I'll cover you." He leaned out and fired off a couple more shots. Behind him, Shinji made a dash for the fence and hauled himself over in a matter of seconds.

Kaji emptied his clip and ran for the fence himself. He pointedly ignored the vicious burning in his arm as he climbed. A handful of shots flew in his direction, but they were hurried and didn't come near him. He landed next to Shinji on the other side of the fence with a grunt. "Time to run again," he said with a forced grin.

They took off in the general direction of the road, weaving occasionally to throw off their would-be assassins' aim. They hustled down a small hill and Kaji breathed a sigh of relief. That would buy them a couple seconds out of the crosshairs. He was just reaching for his cell phone when two black sedans slide in front of them, cutting off their escape. Eight people piled out and suddenly Kaji and Shinji found themselves looking down the barrels of an assortment of guns. Off in the distance, the police sirens grew steadily closer.

Kaji dropped his gun and slowly put his hands up. After a moment's hesitation, Shinji followed suit. "Well," Kaji said. "We must be pretty popular. I take it the commander sent you?" None of them reacted in the slightest. Kaji swore under his breath. "Come on, Vasily."

#

* * *

#

Asuka Langley Sohryu was going to rip someone's head off. That was, of course, the only reasonable response to being awakened at this ungodly hour by the stooges. It wasn't bad enough that they had the nerve to call her hours before the sun would even be up, but they insisted that she go to stupid Aida's stupid house.

Oh, no, they couldn't explain what was going on over the phone, but could she please get over there as soon as possible? Her angry growl quickly turned into a yawn. She had told them to screw off and hung up on them, but they just called her back. And they kept calling her back until she agreed to show up. So she got dressed and left a note for Misato on the kitchen table, just in case this took longer than she expected. If this wasn't important, and she meant earth shatteringly huge, the school would be short two more stooges and NERV would need to find the Fifth Child.

As she approached Aida's front door, it swung open to reveal the two stooges standing in the doorway watching her gravely. Aida stepped aside to let her in and shut the door. She looked watched the two of them for a moment. "You have thirty seconds to explain what the hell is going on before I beat you both to a pulp for getting me out of bed," she hissed.

Toji and Kensuke exchanged a glance but didn't say anything.

"Twenty-five seconds," she said, feeling the vein above her eye twitch.

Kensuke cleared his throat, "I think it would be easiest if we just show you." He turned and led her into his room with Toji bringing up the rear.

In Kensuke's room, Asuka but back her comments about the dozens of model airplanes hanging from the ceiling and the posters of big breasted women lining the wall. She settled for glaring at the boy as he brought something up on his computer. He gave her the desk chair and started a video as she sat down.

A few short minutes later, Asuka stared blankly at the computer screen. "How did you get this?"

Kensuke told her how he found the video and his reaction since watching it. "We figured you should know," he finished.

She closed her eyes and sighed. Shinji was with Kaji. She was surer than ever that he made it out of the city alive. "Thank you," she whispered.

She didn't see Toji's eyebrows lift slightly or Kensuke's jaw drop at the two simple words. "Um, yeah," the shorter boy said. He trailed off when he realized Asuka's shoulders were shaking slightly. His jaw dropped even wider.

"You all right, Devil?" Toji asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"I knew it," she murmured. "I knew it."

Kensuke frowned, "Knew what?"

Suddenly, her shoulders stopped shaking and she was on her feet. "I knew that NERV had something to do with this."

"You did?" Toji sounded skeptical.

Asuka crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes. I don't trust the commander at all."

"You think this," Kensuke gestured at the paused video on the monitor, "came down from the top?"

"I'm sure it did," she answered, narrowing her eyes."

"That's a little out there," Toji said. "Why would be try to kill his own son?"

Asuka's mouth was a thin line as she stared levelly at Toji. Her eyebrow quirked upward.

"I get that the guy isn't gonna win any father of the year awards," he acknowledged. "But come on, how messed up do you think the guy is?"

The redhead's expression darkened. "About as messed up as you can get."

Kensuke frowned, "The UN put him in charge of NERV. He can't be that bad. He probably wasn't the one to order it."

"I didn't say he was stupid," Asuka fired back with a roll of her eyes, "just out of his _verdammt_ mind. Besides, who else would have the authority to order Section Two to kill a pilot?"

Neither of the boys had an answer to that. The three of them stood in an awkward silence for a moment. Finally, Toji cleared his throat. "What did the commander do to make you hate him so much?"

"He tried to have Shinji killed."

"Sure," Toji said with a nod. "That makes sense. But…"

Kensuke, realizing where his friend was heading, jumped in, "But you said you already thought he was completely off his rocker."

Asuka stiffened. "I have my reasons."

The look on the girl's face made them think twice about pressing her for more information. "Fine," Toji said. "You think it came from the commander, we aren't sure. The point is we don't know who we can trust."

"So we need a plan," Kensuke filled in. "We need a way to blow the lid off this whole thing. Let someone with, you know, actually authority get to the bottom of it."

"Preferably without us getting dragged out and shot by whoever tried to kill Shinji."

"I've been thinking about how to do that for weeks," Asuka muttered. "That video didn't do anything but confirm what I already figured out."

"So you've got a plan?" Toji looked hopeful.

Asuka's single bitter laugh told them no, she did not, in fact, have a plan yet. "I wish. I'll let you know if I think of anything. You two try to work up something too. Three heads are better than one, even if two of them are yours."

Kensuke nodded. "Let's figure this out so Shinji can come home." He reached his hand out, palm down, between the three of them.

"For Shinji," Toji agreed, placing his hand on top of Kensuke's. They both watched Asuka expectantly.

She rolled her eyes, though her hand was already on top of their hands by the time she finished the motion. "For Shinji," she whispered weakly. Their hands dropped to their sides and Asuka stepped toward the door. "I'm going home; I want to be back in bed before Misato wakes up."

The boys nodded as the three of them quietly made their way to Kensuke's front door. "We can regroup later," Kensuke said.

Asuka grunted as she opened the door. She looked back at the two stooges and paused. "Thanks," she whispered. Before they could answer, she was outside and walking away at a quick clip.

#

* * *

#

Shinji and Kaji sat wedged uncomfortably in the back seat of one of the sedans. They'd been searched for anything that even remotely resembled a weapon, so needless to say Kaji's holdout pistol had been taken. The rest of their things had big taken and thrown into the trunk of the car, not that there was much besides the backpack Shinji was carrying. He'd left the luggage bag in the taxi with the dead man.

Both of them had their arms held behind their backs with zip cuffs. Kaji noted idly that the plastic loops were cutting off the circulation to his hands. From the corners of his eyes, he studied the agent to his right and the one to Shinji's left, both holding a handgun at the ready. In the front, the agent in the passenger seat was turned to face them, an submachine gun ready in his hands.

On Kaji's left, Shinji stared at the floor of the car, completely motionless. Kaji studied the man in the passenger seat. "So," he said, "let me guess. Task Group Seven?"

None of them said anything, but the one in the front narrowed his eyes.

"I've got to say, I'm honored," Kaji continued. "I figured Ikari would send someone, but I never dreamed it would actually be his personal Gestapo."

Kaji fell silent at the acidity of the glare directed at him. He tried to settle back as much as he could to wait for an opening. The driver reached to the center console to pick up a cell phone and dialed a number. "Mission accomplished, sir," he said, then paused to listen to the response. "The inspector is injured, but they're both alive. Thank you, sir. We're en route now." He placed the phone back on the console turned his attention back to the road.

Kaji had to hand it to them. These guys were disciplined, showing no signs of distraction or leaving an opening for him to strike. He choked back a curse. This did not look good.

Right about then, all hell broke loose. Through the windshield, he saw something streak toward the other car, directly in front of them. The ensuing explosion lifted the stricken car off its wheels, only to come back down with a thunderous crash.

Acting immediately, purely on instinct, the driver of their car jerked the wheel to the side in an attempt to avoid the now-burning hulk. It didn't do any good. A colossal impact shook the car, sending the world outside the windows jolting sideways violently. Kaji flew sideways, his head impacting with that of the agent next to him. Dazed, he was vaguely aware of Shinji slamming into him.

The sound of noise-suppressed gunfire cracked through the air. Kaji watched as the two agents in the front were riddled with bullets and slumped in their seats. The rear passenger-side door was wrenched open and the agent on that side was pulled out. He tried to fight back and got a bullet in the head for his trouble. For the first time, Kaji got a look at one of the attackers. A Black Kevlar bodysuit covered him from the neck down. A balaclava covered his entire face, save for the eyes.

Kaji turned to his other side just in time to see the other agent get his throat slit. Shinji stared, eyes wide and utterly still. Kaji started to reach out to him when a hand grabbed his shoulder and hauled him out of the car. Another pair of Kevlar covered hands pulled Shinji out from the other side.

"Kaji, are you all right?" the masked man asked in Japanese.

The scruffy man blinked, still feeling fuzzy from when he hit his head. "Vasily?"

"Are you all right?" he repeated.

Kaji nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Good, let's get out of here," Vasily started to pull him away.

"Wait," Kaji said, pulling his arm free. "The trunk. I need to get something out of the trunk."

Vasily twitched his hand at one of the other black clad men, of whom Kaji now noticed there were five. He leaned into the car, over the dead driver, and popped the trunk.

Kaji reached in and pulled out the backpack Shinji had been carrying. He turned back to Vasily. "Okay, let's go."

The masked man nodded and ushered Kaji toward the banged up white van. One of his men did the same with Shinji. All of them were in the van less than two minutes after the attack began, and on the move barely fifteen seconds after that. Kaji didn't let himself relax until the van had merged into traffic a few minutes later. His head dropped back into the side of the van. "I was starting to think you weren't going to show up, Vas."

Vasily took off the balaclava. He was maybe a few years older than Kaji. His short black hair was messed up from its time under the balaclava. He smiled at Kaji, "You moved a bit more than we expected. We had to find you again and wait for you to get to an out of the way spot."

Kaji clapped him on the shoulder and turned his attention to Shinji. The boy hadn't moved since they'd gotten into the van. He was just staring ahead numbly. "Are you okay, Shinji?"

The boy gave no indication that he'd heard Kaji say anything. That was when Kaji noticed the blood on his shirt. "Jesus, Shinji," he muttered. "Are you hurt?"

Shinji looked down at the blood. "It's not mine," he said weakly.

Kaji closed his eyes. He sometimes forgot that Shinji was just a kid. It wasn't right that a thirteen year old had to deal with this kind of shit. "It's going to be okay."

Shinji just nodded, his gaze already fixed blankly ahead again.

"You said you had something important, Kaji?" Vasily asked.

"Yeah," Kaji said. "Something that's going to change the world."

"You found what you were looking for," the Russian man stated.

"I did."

Vasily let out a single sharp laugh. "Care to fill me in?"

Kaji looked around the van at the other men. While he was sure they were trustworthy, he would feel better keeping what he knew quiet for the moment. "I'll tell you when we get wherever we're going."

"Still as careful as ever," he nodded. "We should be there shortly." He looked at the motionless teenager. "You are the Third Child, aren't you?"

It took a moment for Shinji to register that he was being spoken to. When it finally clicked, he turned to face the sturdily-built Russian. "I…yeah. How did you know?"

"I told you when we first met, Shinji," Kaji said. "You're famous in the defense business."

Vasily reached out to shake Shinji's hand, "It is an honor to meet you, Mister Ikari."

"Uh, thank you," Shinji stammered, shaking the proffered hand. "Shinji's fine."

"Commander Vasily Kaverin, at your service. You can call me Vas." He gestured to the rest of the men in the van, "I'll introduce you to the rest of the team later."

The rest of the team, Shinji noticed, was looking at him with unabashed fascination and curiosity. Apparently Kaji hadn't been joking when he said Shinji was famous. "Who are you with?" he asked Vas. "The army?"

The Russian gave a loud, boisterous laugh. "No, Shinji. We're an Alpha Group team, part of the Russian Federal Security Service."

Kaji, noticing Shinji's nonplussed expression, jumped in, "They're mainly an anti-terrorist group. They report directly to the Russian government's top leadership."

Shinji cocked his head to one side, "So the government knows about Kaji and me?"

"No," Vasily shook his head. "A handful of Alpha Group teams are virtually autonomous. We're lucky enough to be one of them. We get orders every now and then, but we mostly keep our ears to the ground and do what we can."

"And you want to help us?" Shinji asked.

"I owe Kaji that much at least," he said. "Besides, if whatever you know is as big as I think it must be, I want to be a part of it."

"I don't know anything," Shinji muttered.

Kaji nodded, "I know. That's going to change soon, I promise."

#

* * *

#

Asuka sighed. She'd almost forgotten about this particular humiliation. Not the Angel of course, just the part where she ended up stranded, completely naked, in a jettisoned entry plug bobbing in the Geofront's lake. Getting recovered by the NERV crew was no less embarrassing the second time around.

She was thankful for the sweat suit they'd provided at least, ill fitting though it was. She leaned against the railing on the edge of the ship and watched as the shore grew closer. Pushing a hand through her hair, she sighed. The LCL was beginning to dry. It was going to take forever to wash it out now.

The sound of footsteps broke her out of her reverie. Looking to her right, she saw Suzuhara a few feet away, leaning with his back against the railing and his arms folded across his chest. He too was dressed in a sweat suit, though his fit somewhat better. "What do you think happened?"

Asuka thought about the question for a second. "Angel attack," she said simply.

"What?" The boy's head whipped around to look at her, "An Angel? How the hell do you figure that? Wouldn't they be trying to get us to the Evas a little faster?"

She looked back toward the shore, trying to figure out what to say. She watched Suzuhara from the corner of her eye. He wasn't as big an idiot as she used to think, and he probably wouldn't go running to someone at NERV. "They dealt with it without us."

Toji frowned, "That doesn't sound like a guess. Did you talk to somebody already?"

Asuka just shook her head, doubt beginning to creep in. Would he just dismiss it as a lie? Or worse, think she was insane?

The Fourth Child looked confused. "Then what?"

Asuka bit her lip and didn't answer for a long moment. "I'm from the future."

Toji stared for a minute and arched an eyebrow. "If you wanted me to leave, you could have just said so." He pushed off of the railing and started to walk away.

As he walked past her, Asuka spun around and grabbed his arm just above the elbow.

"What?" he groaned as he turned to face her again. His eyes widened at the seriousness of the expression on her face. "Something I said?"

She stayed silent, her expression completely unchanged.

"You…you were joking, weren't you? You must have been."

Slowly, she shook her head.

Suddenly lightheaded, Toji stumbled toward the railing. "Holy shit."

Asuka breathed a silent sigh of relief. "You believe me?"

Toji took a moment before he responded. "I think you believe it, and I don't think you're crazy enough to imagine something like that."

The redhead nodded. It felt good to tell somebody after all this time and even better to have them believe her. "Fair enough."

He looked around to make sure nobody was listening to them. "How far in the future?"

She frowned. Keeping track of time hadn't exactly been high on their list of priorities at the time. "I'm not really sure," she admitted. "End of next year maybe."

"You're not sure?"

"Things were a little complicated," she said defensively. "More than you could ever imagine."

"How the hell is this possible?" he whispered. "What happened?"

Noticing that they were almost at the shore, she shook her head. Already, she could see Misato pacing anxiously in front of her car. "I think that's going to have to wait for another time," she said. "We're about to be swarmed." She nodded toward the dozen or so NERV personnel standing around waiting for them.

Toji nodded his understanding. "Who else knows?"

"Nobody."

He blinked in surprise. "Why me?

She thought about this for a second. "If we're going to get anything done, you need to be able to see the whole picture."

* * *

A/N: Chapter 9, reporting for duty. Quite a bit of non-Eva based action here. Let me know what you think about it, because it wasn't the easiest thing for me to write for some reason. Some big things happened in here, but it's a pretty small chapter in scope. The NERV crew got to take a bit of a break for a chapter. I just had Kaji and the kids on call.

Anyway, we finally got to meet Kaji's mysterious friend in Saint Petersburg. It occurred to me while I was writing that I hadn't picked a name for him until the moment I typed something. I'm pretty happy with him as a character and I can't wait until you get to see more of him.

Get ready, because next time we get a look at Future!Earth.

Oh, in case anybody cares, I have a twitter account now. If you want updates on my writing without the hassle of visiting my profile page, follow me Fourth_Impact.

I choose you…

Review Acknowledgements:

**Ctelenku**: I'm glad you've been enjoying. You were definitely right about things getting messy, by the way. Shinji did bring up why they were being hunted when Section Two first tried to kill him, but he got a little too into his own head to push for an actual answer.

**Lachesis**: Hope this lives up to the standards I've set, both for disclaimers and for story.

**justanotherguy**: Don't worry, I've got big plans for Kozo. It's going to be _awesome_.

**Hotako Tomoe**: Not going to lie, things deviated a bit from my original outline for this story. Shinji was originally planned to stay in Tokyo-3 for a while longer, so there would have been quite a bit more Shinji/Asuka content. I got him out sooner for pacing reasons and I never even thought to change the category listing. I'm being lazy right now, but I'll probably get around to it at some point.

**Jack**: As much as you may want me to, I will not forget the beginning of that review. Future!Earth is in the hopper. Get ready. Also, fun as it would be, I think I'm going to leave the over the top violence and Falcon Punches to other authors, or at least other stories.

**KnightLance**: Sorry, I didn't get a chance to give you a heads up about Ken, but he finally did something. Also, I'll make sure to let you know next time I go after NGE ownership. As for last chapter's filleryness (my spell check hates me for that): anime lovers may hate filler, but what's an anime without it? But seriously though, there is some important material in there. I'm just playing the long game with it. I'll leave you with that.

**Watchdog**: Yeah, Asuka was _this_ close to telling Misato everything. Now Ken, he's fun to write, and as a writer he's a wonderful tool. He gets into everything and as the resident nerd, you can get him to fill a wide array of roles without it feeling forced. I was glad to finally get to the point where he has something to do.

**1337**: Thanks. I was pretty fond of that conversation after I wrote it.

**Cypher**: That is just about the most succinct and accurate summary of my story so far that I could have ever hoped for. Timing's been important to me through this whole thing. I was originally going to keep Shinji in Tokyo-3 for another three chapters or so, drawing out the mystery for that whole time. I sensed things had run their course though, so I sped things up. As for the little moments like Shinji's sarcasm in the first chapter, I was getting bored with the early chapters and just wanted to get to the new stuff as soon as I could. That's why those moments kind of tapered off.


	10. Elucidation

A/N: Yeah, I've got nothing for you up here. I'll catch you at the bottom.

**Disclaimer Theater**:

Fourth Impact sat on the couch with a book in his hands. Chapter nine had been a grueling, marathon shoot, so it was nice to sit down and relax for a couple days. He let out a content sigh as he turned the page.

"Wark." The noise came from somewhere behind him without any warning.

The writer dropped his book and spun around in surprise. He peered over the back of the couch. "What are you doing in here Pen Pen?"

"Wark?" The penguin's flipper pointed toward the DVDs stacked by the wall.

Fourth Impact glanced at the DVDs before looking back at the bird. He shook his head sadly. "No, sadly I don't own _Evangelion_."

"Wark." The disappointment in the penguin's voice was evident.

The two of them turned to look pointedly at the camera on the far side of the room.

* * *

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion: Mitigation**_

Chapter 10: Elucidation

* * *

"I accept full responsibility for the failure, Commander."

Gendo Ikari regarded the hologram in front of him with a stony gaze. The leader of Task Group Seven stood ramrod straight as he relayed the details of the group's complete and utter humiliation at the hands of Agent Kaji and the Third Child. Finally, Ikari said something. "How many men did you lose in the operation?"

Phantom returned the commander's gaze, "A dozen, sir. Two more are in critical condition and another three suffered minor injuries."

Ikari nodded, a move carefully calculated to send the room's light reflecting dangerously off of his glasses. "We will discuss the ramifications of this failure after the targets are secured." He paused for a moment to allow the implication to seep in. "Do you have any leads on their whereabouts?"

"Potentially, sir." Phantom reached for something out of Ikari's view. A moment later, a two dimensional video recording replaced the three dimensional representation of the agent.

The commander watched silently as the attack on the Section Two cars unfolded. After Kaji and the Third climbed into a van and sped off screen, Phantom reappeared again. Ikari showed no hint of emotion. "Did you track the van?"

Phantom hesitated for the briefest instant, "We tried to, sir, but they got away. We didn't have enough men in place to stay on them without arousing suspicion."

"So you have no idea where they are at the moment." Ikari's voice took on a harsh edge.

"No, Commander," the agent said. "But we're still following up a few leads. We will reacquire them before they get away."

Ikari raised an eyebrow. "I assume you have no idea who the attackers were."

"Based on their tactics, we suspect Special Forces of some kind," he said. "Beyond that we aren't certain yet. I have one of my men going through Agent Kaji's past to see if there's any connection to be found."

"Be sure that you find them," Ikari said. The dismissal in his tone was clear as day.

"We will, sir," Phantom replied, snapping off a crisp salute.

The commander didn't bother returning it, opting instead to reach for the cutoff switch, ending the communication. He turned toward the other man in the room, "Thoughts?"

Sergei Olev stepped out of the shadows. "I agree with the analysis of the attackers. They are definitely Special Forces." He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, "If I had to guess, I would say Alpha Group. I used to deal with them fairly regularly back in the KGB."

Ikari leaned back in his chair. It wasn't unreasonable that Kaji would have made contact with an Alpha Group team at some point, and he was very good at worming his way into people's confidences. It did, however, raise the question of what Kaji planned to do with the help of a Russian Special Forces group. "How much of a threat do you think this poses?"

Olev furrowed his brow. "Not much," he said after a few seconds. "I imagine he's using them as nothing more than glorified bodyguards while they lay low or try to get where they're going."

"Possibly," Ikari muttered.

"You disagree, Commander?"

"I suspect Agent Kaji has something much more aggressive in mind," he said.

The Section Two director frowned. "You think he's raising an army or something, sir?"

"I do," Ikari said simply.

"But, sir," Olev said. "Even if that is true, how dangerous could it be? We have thousands of JSSDF troops in the city, not to mention Section Two and the Evangelions. The few Special Forces teams Agent Kaji may be able to bring together with his connections can't possibly be a real danger."

"Not if the proper steps are taken as a precaution." If Ikari was frustrated at being questioned by a subordinate, his voice didn't show it. "Hubris is a deadly flaw. Our work is too important to allow simple carelessness to undo it."

Olev nodded his understanding. "Very well, Commander. What do you suggest?"

Ikari stood up and strode toward the window behind his desk, clasping his hands behind his back as he gazed out at the Geofront. "We need to make sure that any forces Kaji and the Third send here are isolated if they manage to get into the city."

"You want to bring down the curtain?" Surprise was evident in Olev's usually controlled voice. "How can we do that without raising the ire of the entire city? The last thing we need is a full blown resistance movement."

Ikari walked back to his desk and lowered himself into the chair. "Skyfall."

Olev smirked at the commander's single word. "That would keep the populace in line for a long while."

The commander folded his hands in front of his face. "In addition to erasing virtually all of the support the Third Child has in this city." He grinned cruelly behind his hands.

Olev saluted smartly, "I will set it in motion. The next city council meeting is tomorrow. Everything should be ready by then."

#

* * *

#

A feeling of homesickness settled on Shinji as he looked out at the Saint Petersburg skyline. It was nothing new, but the battle at the airport and their brief capture had pushed the feeling aside for a short while. It returned in full force as he took in the buildings of an unfamiliar city. There was nothing wrong with Saint Petersburg, he decided after a few minutes. It just wasn't Tokyo-3. It wasn't home.

Tearing his gaze from the cityscape before him, Shinji looked at his more immediate surroundings. After Vas and his team recued them, they drove around for a while. Vas told him that they were making sure nobody followed them. Eventually, once their driver was satisfied that they weren't being tailed, they ended up at a military base a few miles outside Saint Petersburg.

As it turned out, Vas's team was allocated a small building on the edge of the base for themselves. Living quarters, a gun range, even a sizeable kitchen made sure the Alpha Group team had everything they needed. He and Kaji were given rooms, though Shinji didn't even have a chance to sit down before Kaji, his arm freshly bandaged and in a sling, pulled him and Vas into a briefing room.

They listened intently as the spy explained the role Shinji's father and his coconspirators had played in Second Impact, and their plans bring about Third Impact. Shinji, too shell-shocked to say anything, listened quietly while Vas occasionally interrupted to ask a question. Kaji answered what he could; frequently drawing papers out of the envelope he'd been carrying since Tokyo-3.

When Kaji finished, Shinji quietly excused himself so he could go lie down. This day was just too much for him. On some level, Shinji had always known that his father was a bastard. That wasn't an easy fact to accept, but he'd grown accustomed to it. He was still struggling with the fact that his father wanted to kill him for some reason. The news that the man was also an omnicidal maniac was impossible. The worst part was that Shinji had no problem believing it, though that didn't make it any easier to live with.

After god-only-knows how many hours of trying in vain to get to sleep, Shinji climbed out of bed and redressed. He made his way outside and sat with his back against the building, where he still was an hour later. He looked at his right hand, where a few of his knuckles were beginning to scab over after he beat down that agent at the airport. His stomach gave an unpleasant lurch at the memory.

A slight creak disrupted the boy's train of thought. Shinji looked up at the door as it opened to let someone out into the cool night. He watched quietly as Vas took a swig from a flask, placed a cigarette between his lips, lit it, and took a deep drag.

The Russian looked over at him. "I'm surprised to see you out of your room," he said. "I did not think you would be out for a while."

Shinji shrugged. "I just needed some fresh air."

Vas nodded his understanding, "It was a lot to take in."

"I always knew that my father was messed up, but…" he trailed off, unsure of how to finish that sentence.

"You never imagined that he could be so twisted," Vas supplied. He drew the flask from his coat pocket and offered it to Shinji.

Shinji nodded at the words and furrowed his brow at the proffered flask. He took it tentatively, "What's in it?"

"Vodka," he said. "Good vodka too, not some cheap shit."

Shinji shoved the flask back toward Vas. "I'm only fourteen."

The soldier chuckled, "I know. And you just found out that your father is working to wipe out all of humanity and that he is trying to kill you because you pose some kind of threat to that plan."

Shinji stared at Vas for a moment and looked down at the flask again. He unscrewed the top and took a massive swig. As soon as the alcohol went down he began coughing and gagging at the taste and burning sensation.

Vas laughed uproariously. "First drink?"

"Uh-huh," he nodded, trying not to throw up.

"You get used to it," Vas said, taking back his flask. He waited for Shinji to stop coughing. "Come with me, Shinji."

Curious, he followed Vas inside and downstairs. The burly Russian man opened a heavy door and ushered Shinji inside. The boy looked around the gun range. The entire back wall was covered with a wide assortment of firearms, from handguns all the way up to a minigun. About ten feet from the gun wall, a series of counters of various heights stretched across most of the width of the room. Beyond the counters, a dozen or so tracks in the ceiling made it possible to move targets back and forth at different distances.

"What are we doing here?" Shinji asked.

Vasily walked over to the guns and crossed his arms as he studied the selection. "Have you ever fired a gun before?"

"Um, just in the Eva," he answered. He furrowed his brow, "Why?"

Vas chose a handgun off the wall and set it down on a counter with a dull _thunk_. "Let's see what you can do."

Shinji took a couple uncertain steps toward the gun. "R-really?" He hefted the firearm in his hand and studied it.

"The way things are going, you'll need to be able to defend yourself." Vas handed him a pair of earplugs then slapped a button on the counter. A bell rang and a motorized hum filled the room. Paper targets of human silhouettes rolled out, hanging from the tracks in the ceiling.

"Uh, sure." Pointing the weapon downrange, Shinji took aim at one of the targets and opened fire. Nothing happened.

"The safety is on," Vas chuckled.

Shinji felt his cheeks heat up from embarrassment, "Oh." Examining the gun, he found the switch and turned it off. "The Eva sized ones don't have safeties," he said sheepishly. Aiming at the target again, he pulled the trigger and was nearly knocked flat on his ass by the recoil. The bullet tore through the shoulder of the target. He looked over at Vas.

The Russian nodded. "The rest too," he said. "Try to get them all."

Shinji adjusted his stance and started shooting at the remaining twelve targets, taking one shot at each. After he emptied the clip, he set the gun on the counter. His wrists were aching from absorbing the weapon's recoil and his ears were ringing faintly in spite of the earplugs.

Vasily vaulted over the counter and gathered up the targets, bringing them back to the counter. He laid them out for Shinji to see. Five were completely undamaged. "Eight hits," he said. "Not terrible." He pointed to three of the hit targets, each with a hole in either the head or center of the chest. "These would have been kill shots."

Shinji wasn't sure what to say. "Is that good?"

"There have been worse first efforts," a voice said from by the doorway. Kaji stood leaning against the wall by the door, his arms folded over his chest. He glanced at Vas, "I didn't figure you'd get started so soon."

"I ran into him outside," he replied. "It seemed as good a time as any to start."

"I couldn't sleep," Shinji said. "I just wanted to air." He paused for a moment, "A good time to start what?"

"Vas and his guys are going to show you a few things while we're here," Kaji said. "We've got a little time while we lie low and work out a plan."

"You won't have trouble sleeping for much longer," the Russian laughed.

"Oh," the boy said, not quite sure what else to say. "I…guess that's good."

In lieu of an answer, Vas pressed the button on the counter again, prompting the bell to ring and more targets to roll out in a slightly different configuration from last time. In one smooth motion, he scooped up the pistol, reloaded it, and turned it downrange. A handful of rapid gunshots later, he placed the empty gun on the counter.

Shinji gaped. Every target had a bullet hole square in the center of the forehead. "You're going to teach me to do that?"

Vas laughed again. "No, Shinji. We don't have that kind of time." He tilted his head toward the targets, "That takes years of practice. What we can do is make you a pretty good shot in a couple days."

"Right," Kaji said. "I think that's enough for tonight. You should probably try to get some sleep, Shinji."

Shinji nodded and left the room, muttering a good night as he did so.

Kaji studied his friend for a moment. When he was sure Shinji was out of earshot, he finally spoke. "What do you think?"

"We can definitely work with him," Vas said as he reloaded the gun and summoned more targets.

#

* * *

#

A knock at the door distracted Kozo Fuyutsuki from his paperwork. He glanced at his office door. "Come in."

The door opened and Sergei Olev stepped into the office. "Good morning, Vice Commander."

"Director," the older man said. "What can I do for you?" He set his pen down and leaned back in his chair.

The director sat in a chair. He regarded Fuyutsuki carefully. "The commander asked me to brief you on several new developments." He paused, but continued at Fuyutsuki's expectant gaze. "Task Group Seven captured Agent Kaji and the Third Child, but they were rescued by what we suspect is a Russian Alpha Group team."

"I see," Fuyutsuki said. His face betrayed nothing of his thoughts.

"A dozen operatives are dead with five more injured, two of them critically," Olev explained. "All the relevant files have been placed on your MAGI drive, including the team's after action reports."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "Thank you," he said levelly. "Is there anything else?" He lifted his coffee mug and took a sip.

"The commander has ordered me to lower the curtain."

The older man nearly choked on his coffee. "That's insane. NERV can't possibly stand provoking that kind of hostility from the civilian population. What is Ikari-"

"Skyfall," Olev cut him off.

"Jesus," Fuyutsuki breathed, sinking back in his chair. "When?"

"Tomorrow," the director said simply. "Commander Ikari feels it is best if the situation is brought under control as soon as possible. Kaji and the Third may be trying to raise an army."

Fuyutsuki fought to keep his composure. "Thank you, Director."

Olev nodded and exited the office without another word.

NERV's Vice Commander frowned, deep in thought. "Raising an army," he whispered. "It better be a damn big one."

Fuyutsuki spent a few minutes staring blankly at his computer. It wasn't long ago that Ikari would have had him in the room for a decision like that. The fact that he had to learn about if after the fact, from Olev of all people, didn't bode well. It was almost like Ikari was marginalizing him. Fuyutsuki was well familiar with the cold calculus that was Gendo Ikari's decision making process. Being marginalized like this was the first step toward dismissal.

Someone as involved in Instrumentality as Fuyutsuki didn't just walk away after being dismissed.

Pushing himself to his feet, Fuyutsuki strode out of the room and into the corridor. To his right, a Section Two agent leaned against the wall a couple feet away from the door. Hiroji Sato was a member of the vice commander's security detail and one of the few people the former professor still trusted at NERV. The instant he noticed Fuyutsuki stepping out of his office, he straightened up and prepared to follow his charge.

Fuyutsuki nodded at his bodyguard. Sato was the one who had warned him that the commander was watching him after Shinji escaped the city. "I need some air," he said. "Feel like taking a walk?"

Sato grinned. "Sure thing, sir."

Neither of the men said anything while they navigated their way through the labyrinthine corridors of NERV headquarters. The handful of employees roaming the halls saluted Fuyutsuki as they went about their business.

Out in Tokyo-3's morning sunlight, the entirety of Fuyutsuki's security detail kept a respectful distance. Sato moved to join the rest of the team, but Fuyutsuki stopped him. "Something on your mind, sir?"

"Walk with me for a minute," Fuyutsuki said.

"Yes, sir," Sato said, falling into step with the vice commander.

"I assume the commander still has you reporting on my movements?" he asked.

"He does, sir."

Fuyutsuki chuckled, "I imagine this will look pretty suspicious on the next report."

Sato grinned slightly. "You don't have to worry about that, Vice Commander," he assured. He tilted his head to indicate the rest of the team, "They all have the utmost respect for you. None of them are happy about this."

Fuyutsuki accepted this with a nod. "I know how much you put on the line by telling me about this. I want you to know how much I appreciate it."

The Section Two agent regarded him quietly as they walked.

Fuyutsuki looked down thoughtfully. "What do you think of Commander Ikari?"

Sato frowned. "I haven't dealt with him much, but something about him always seemed off to me. Although he does kind of carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, so it's understandable."

"That doesn't sound like the whole truth," Fuyutsuki said with an arched eyebrow.

"I suppose it's not," he admitted. "In all honesty, sir, he makes me uneasy. There's something I don't trust about him."

Fuyutsuki nodded, but stayed quiet.

"I feel like something's coming," Sato continued. "Something big. I don't know what, but I can feel it."

"I think you're right," Fuyutsuki said. "I hope we're ready to face it when that day comes."

The vice commander could feel Sato's gaze on him. "You think there's something off about the commander too, don't you, sir?" Sato asked.

"More than you know," Fuyutsuki muttered. "I'll tell you this. Something definitely is coming." He looked at Sato, "What side do you think you'll be on when it does?"

Confusion flashed across the agent's face for an instant. "That depends on what side you're on, sir."

A single laugh escaped Fuyutsuki's lips. He looked up at the cloudless sky. "The right one, I hope."

#

* * *

#

"Do I really have to do this?" The hint of pleading in Asuka's tone was unusual for her, especially when she was talking to Toji.

"It's like you said," Toji explained patiently as they walked down the street. "We're all in this together. We can't leave Ken in the dark about something like this."

"Yeah, I know," she snapped. "He's just going to want to know all the details though. I'm not exactly excited about the idea of reliving it all."

Toji shrugged as they approached Kensuke's door. "Well, I want to know the details too, don't forget. So you're going to be telling them anyway." He knocked on the door.

"I'll do it," she said. "Just don't expect me to be happy about it."

Toji threw an almost-sympathetic glance her way as the door opened. Kensuke's eyes widened at the sight of the two of them on his doorstep. He stepped aside and ushered them inside. "What are you guys doing?" he hissed. "What if you were followed? Or someone saw the two of you together? It's not exactly normal to see the two of you together and not screaming at each other. What if someone figures out that something's-"

"Ken," Toji called, cutting off his friend, who quickly fell silent. "Everything's fine. Nobody knows what we're up to. Chill."

Kensuke nodded as his breathing returned to normal. "Right," he said. "Sorry. This kind of thing is still new to me." He looked at the serious expressions on his classmates' faces. "What's up?"

"Devil's got something to tell you," Toji said.

"My dad's home," Kensuke said. "Let's go to my room." He led them upstairs and into his bedroom. As soon as the door was shut, he turned to face Toji and Asuka, "Okay. Now what's going on? Did you learn something?"

Asuka leaned against the windowsill and folded her arms. The light streaming through the window cast her in silhouette as she collected her thoughts. "I'm from the future," she finally said.

The sandy-haired otaku rolled his eyes. "Ha ha," he deadpanned. "Seriously, what's going on?" When Asuka remained didn't respond, Kensuke looked over at Toji, whose face was deadly serious. "Oh, come on. You guys got me all worked up over a joke? It's not even a good one."

"It's not a joke," Asuka said.

Desperate, Ken looked over at Toji for support. The taller boy just shook his head.

Kensuke dropped into his desk chair. "Holy crap," he whispered. "How is that possible?"

"She's going to explain it to us," Toji said. He cast a pointed glance at Asuka, "Right?"

Asuka nodded, but before she could say anything, something occurred to Kensuke. "If you're from the future, doesn't that mean you know where Shinji is?"

She shook her head, "Things are different this time. Nothing like this happened before. Just going back must have changed more than we expected."

"We?" Toji interjected. "You didn't mention that someone else came back with you."

Asuka's contemplative expression fell into a somber one, "Nobody did." Before either of the boys could ask a question, she continued. "I need to start at the beginning if I'm going to do this. You need to understand how different things were. How bad they got."

She took some time explaining things as they occurred in her original timeline. Toji went pale when he learned about Unit-03's activation. He stayed that way for the rest of the story. Kensuke's color faded shortly after Toji's as events in Asuka's story continued to deteriorate.

#

* * *

#

Darkness enveloped Asuka as she danced on the edge of consciousness. She had only a vague awareness of her own body, but she hurt. That was the only way to describe it. Her eye felt as though someone had poured acid into its socket. Her arm kept giving of sharp throbs, from her hand all the way down to her elbow. It felt as though every muscle in her body had been replaced with lead. She was exhausted on the deepest level a human is capable of experiencing.

To top that off, there was a tight burning sensation building in her throat. She couldn't breathe. Her eyes fluttered open to reveal _him_. He was on top of her with his hands wrapped around her throat. Dimly, she knew that she should be fighting back. He was trying to kill her. He already basically killed everyone else. She couldn't bring herself to do it though. She was in such pain, and was so tired, that death would be a relief.

She reached up with her wounded arm and gently caressed his face. The intent was to let him know that it was okay, that she had accepted death. Instead, it seemed to break him out of the trance he had been in. His hands released her neck and Asuka gasped, bringing air back into her lungs. He collapsed onto her, sobbing uncontrollably.

For a moment, she let him, feeling to too tired and in too much pain to do anything. Slowly, the reality of her situation began to sink in. The Angels, NERV, Eva, Third Impact, all of it hit her. They were quite possibly the only ones not part of Instrumentality. A ball of molten metal settled in her stomach. "I feel sick."

The sobbing boy above her didn't seem to hear. The nausea intensified. "I feel sick," she repeated, more urgently this time. When he still didn't respond, she shoved him off of her and rolled onto her hands and knees, ignoring the intense stab of pain that radiated up her arm. With a mighty heave, a wave of bile splattered on the sand before her. Two more similar heaves and she pushed herself into a sitting position, breathing heavily.

For the first time, Asuka took a minute to take in her surroundings. They were on a beach, as the sand had already suggested. The water lapped at the shore, stained by the LCL of billions of AT Field-deprived humans. Out in the distance, the petrified forms of the Mass Production Evas stood as though crucified around the partially submerged giant stone head of Rei Ayanami. Up in the sky, a bright red streak passed in front of the moon and arced past the horizon.

A few feet away, Shinji knelt in the sand, staring blankly ahead. Asuka felt a sneer build across her face. Oh, sure, she understood him now. Their time together in the mass of human souls had afforded them a fairly deep level of understanding. Instrumentality had a way of doing that, apparently. What it couldn't do was erase a lifetime of experiences and hellish memories.

So Asuka Langley Sohryu did what she knew best. She hauled herself to her feet and glared at the motionless boy. "Well, you finally did it, Third. You screwed everything."

Shinji seemed to collapse in on himself at the venom in her voice. He opened his mouth, but seemed unable to come up with any words.

Asuka laughed coldly, "What? No apology? You're actually finally responsible for something, and it's the one time you don't apologize?"

He shook his head as tears started streaming down his face again. "I didn't…I tried to stop it, to set it back to the way it was."

"Why did you let it start in the first place?" she shouted, kicking at the sand in frustration. "You wouldn't have had to stop it if you hadn't decided everyone would be better off as a puddle."

Shinji flinched and pulled his knees to his chest. For a long moment, he didn't answer. Just as Asuka was about to start shouting again, he whispered something. "You were dead."

The redhead's jaw dropped. "Great fucking reason to end the world," she muttered. She turned on her heel and stormed away.

Behind her, Shinji clambered to his feet. "Where are you going?"

"Anywhere but here," she snapped. "I've had enough of this place to last a lifetime." She kept walking for a few minutes before she realized that Shinji was following a couple yards behind her. "Why the hell are you following me?" She whirled around to face him.

His step faltered, "I…I don't know what else to do."

"Pathetic," she whispered. Rolling her eyes, she turned and started walking again. She heard Shinji start following her again after a moment of hesitation.

It took nearly three hours of walking, punctuated by several stops when Asuka needed a rest, but the two teenagers eventually encountered a house. It was small, smaller than Misato's apartment, Asuka figured, but it was shelter and it was out of sight of the red ocean and its nightmare statues. Those were the only two things she cared about at the moment.

With a weary sigh of relief, she approached the house and peered through a window. The inside was definitely as small as it looked from the outside, but it seemed comfortably furnished. She moved over to the door and turned the handle, which opened noiselessly. A triumphant grin spread across her face, but quickly fell when she realized Shinji was still standing by the side of the road. "What the hell are you doing, _dummkopf_?"

Shinji looked around nervously, "That's someone's house. We can't just walk in."

Asuka was in his face in an instant. "No," she growled dangerously. "It was someone's house before you decided that everyone would be better off as a bunch of free floating souls. Now it's our house. And you know what, when we leave here and find another house, that one will be ours too."

The expected emotions vied for control of the boy's face, namely misery and remorse over the entire situation and fear from Asuka's rage. She saw something else briefly flicker across his expression too though, something unexpected. Was that…_relief_? It was. He was momentarily relieved when she said "our house." She rolled her eyes and walked back to the house. Shinji scrambled after her.

The front door opened directly to the living room, which was indeed comfortably furnished. A comfortable-looking couch sat facing a moderately sized television on an entertainment center. At one end of the room was a small fireplace with a stack of firewood next to it. Down a small hallway were a bathroom and a bedroom. The bedroom held a queen sized bed flanked by nightstands, a walk-in closet, and a pair of dressers topped with pictures of an elderly couple and people who were presumably their children.

The last room in the house was the kitchen, which turned out to be fairly well equipped. A large refrigerator, a dishwasher, a gas stove all stood around the wall. In one corner stood what Asuka found to be a fairly old looking wood burning stove. She laughed darkly to herself. At least Baka Shinji will be able to cook once the power inevitably goes out and the gas lines fail.

That was when she noticed the small table situated in front of the picture window. A half-eaten meal sat on the table. Apparently the owners had been in the middle of dinner Third Impact hit. The abandoned meal wasn't what caught her eye, though. Two sets of clothes lay abandoned on the table's two chairs. The orange stains of dried LCL served as a grim reminder of the residents' fate.

Asuka staggered over to the kitchen sink as her stomach started to churn. As she threw up, she was dimly aware of Shinji doing something behind her. When she straightened up again, she wiped her mouth on the back on her hand and turned around. She caught a glimpse of Shinji, looking more than a little green himself, leaving the kitchen with the bundle of clothes in his arms.

He came back into the living room a couple minutes later with a different bundle of clothes. For one awkward moment, they just stood and looked at each other. Eventually, Asuka offered a small nod of thanks. Shinji looked away and held out the clothes. "I thought you might want to get out of the plugsuit," he mumbled. "I think they should fit you okay."

Asuka furrowed her brow. The plugsuit was sticky with dried LCL and beat to all hell. She snatched the clothes out of his hands and marched into the bedroom, where she kicked the door closed with a slam.

#

* * *

#

Asuka's story trailed off as she started to get choked up. Toji and Kensuke stared, utterly transfixed by what they were hearing. When she started crying, Kensuke handed a tissue box to her. She wiped away the tears and cleared her throat. "Sorry," she whispered. "It's not easy to talk about this all."

"We can finish another time if you want," Toji offered. Kensuke nodded his agreement.

Asuka took a deep breath to steady herself. "No, no, I'm okay." She sat down on Kensuke's bed. "I just haven't really had to face any of it since I came back."

Kensuke rubbed the back of his head, "Do you, uh, want some water or something?"

She shook her head. "No, it's fine." She took another deep breath. "For a couple weeks we just…survived. There was enough in that house for us to survive for that long."

A knock at the door made her fall silent as her head whipped around to face the door. Toji and Kensuke practically jumped out of their skin. "Ken?" a voice called from the other side of the door.

The boys slumped back in their seats, visibly relieved. "Yeah, Dad?" Kensuke answered.

The door opened and Kensuke's dad stepped into the room. He blinked in surprise at the sight of Toji and Asuka. "Oh, I didn't realize you had company. Hey, Toji." He stretched out a hand toward Asuka, "I don't think we've met. I'm Ken's dad."

Asuka cleared her throat and shook the man's hand. "It's nice to meet you Mister Aida. I'm Asuka."

The elder Aida smiled then looked at his son. "Isn't Asuka the name of that girl you always complain..."

"So what's up, Dad?" Kensuke cut off his father, his eyes darting to nervously watch for any kind of negative reaction from the girl.

"Right," his dad said. "Sorry." He turned on Kensuke's television and flipped through the channels. He stopped on a news report.

"-anding in front of City Hall, where a massive explosion has ripped through a city council meeting," the reporter said. Behind him, the burning edifice of City Hall stood. A huge hole had been blown in the front of the building. The lights of emergency vehicles were clearly visible from off camera. "Emergency crews are still working to contain the resulting blaze, but so far twenty-nine are confirmed dead with many more injured."

"_Scheisse_," Asuka whispered.

The reporter continued, "A source inside the Tokyo-3 Police Department is telling us that they have no information on the cause of the explosion yet." He reached up to cup his earpiece. "Hold on, I'm being told that Commander Gendo Ikari of NERV is holding a press conference about this explosion. We're now going live to NERV Headquarters."

The three teenagers exchanged confused glances as the reporter's image was replaced by that of a press room. Commander Ikari stood behind a podium, flanked by Vice Commander Fuyutsuki and Section Two Director Olev.

Ikari's glasses reflected harshly in the glare of the lights. He apparently felt no need for introductions. "Minutes after the explosion at City Hall, we received a message claiming the blast as a terrorist attack." His cold, clinical tone left Asuka feeling sick. "Our analysts have confirmed the veracity of the message, which prominently features Ryoji Kaji and Shinji Ikari."

"What?" The shout came in unison from Asuka, Toji, and Kensuke.

"It has become apparent," Ikari continued, "that Pilot Ikari was not kidnapped, as we originally believed. NERV extends its deepest apologies for this intelligence failure. We regret, however, that the lockdown of the city cannot be lifted. The message promises more attacks in the future."

Toji stood up. "This is insane," he said.

On the screen, the commander adjusted his glasses. "In order to keep the citizens of this city as safe as possible while we continue to combat the Angel threat, I have asked the JSSDF for additional troops to expand the lockdown. As soon as this request is granted, this city will be under martial law, as authorized under United Nations Proclamation 814-B."

At this, the assembled reporters began shouting questions. Ikari kept talking in his cold monotone. Gradually, the room quieted down to listen. "Furthermore, now that we know that Kaji and Ikari are no longer in the city, steps must be taken to isolate their operatives still in this city. As such, I have ordered the activation of a system that has cut off all communications between Tokyo-3 and the rest of the world."

The press room again erupted with questions. Kensuke turned from the TV to his computer. He opened his web browser. After a few seconds he looked toward the others in the room. "There's no internet," he said. "It's already cut off."

Asuka swore under her breath. This was beyond bad. A glance at Toji and Kensuke showed that they were thinking the same thing. She frowned as she tried to think of what kind of scheme the commander could have in mind. "I should go talk to Misato," she said. "I'll see what she knows."

"Good idea," Kensuke said.

Toji nodded, "We can talk later."

* * *

A/N: Hey, I'm back. I was a bit lazy in getting this chapter started. Honestly, I never actually gave much thought to Post-3I Earth, so it took a while to figure out how I wanted that to go. I know there wasn't a ton of it in this chapter, but there will be more coming for the next couple chapters most likely.

I'm pretty happy with how this chapter turned out. Not thrilled, but pretty happy. There's a lot of setup for future events, but I think it still came out pretty fun.

Anyway, Rebuild 3.0 came out in the time between the last chapter and this one. Anybody seen it yet? Waiting for it has me wishing I lived in Japan. No points for guessing what movie I did see in the interim though.

I'm hoping to get a decent string of chapters out pretty quickly. As always, you can check out my profile for status updates. You can also follow Fourth_Impact on Twitter.

Review Acknowledgements:

**Jack**: Sorry to keep teasing Future!Earth. I know how much you're looking forward to it. I'm trying to find a good balance for pacing's sake. Hopefully this at least managed to whet your appetite.

**Ctelenku**: I'll be doing my best to keep up the good work. Let me know how I'm doing.

**Lachesis**: The way I thought about Shinji taking down that agent was that his time in the Eva has taught him more about combat than he's realized. And no, I had not seen Evangelion Abridged. It never even occurred to me that someone would try to abridge NGE. I checked it out though and loved it.

**Specterman**: It was my pleasure. I hope you enjoy the rest moving forward.

**Watchdog**: You managed to exactly predict at least one thing I was going to do in this chapter, with Vas teaching Shinji to shoot. Things won't be quite as intense as Tom Clancy, but yeah, we're moving in that direction. Oh, past Asuka. That's a messy situation. The answer to that question should come up eventually.

**Ben**: In a way, the time loop theory about Rebuild did help shape this story. I saw Rebuild before the series, and a friend mentioned the theory. He didn't explain at all, and I kind of brushed it off at the time, but it did plant the seed in my head. I'm going to do my best not to rush toward a conclusion. I want to try to finish strong.

**Battosai**: I'll do my best.


	11. Sedition

A/N: Whew. I wanted to get this out way sooner, but real life decided to declare war on _Mitigation_ for a while. I'm back though, and I'm back with an explosive new chapter.

**Disclaimer**: My understanding is that ownership of _Neon Genesis Evangelion_ will be transferred to me when Units 01 and 02 team up to sing the Barenaked Ladies' "One Week" for the rest of the show's cast. Maybe I shouldn't hold my breath.

* * *

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion: Mitigation**_

Chapter 11: Sedition

* * *

"I can't believe he's a terrorist."

Asuka turned to look at the speaker, a girl seated a couple desks away. As with most of the people in her class, Asuka had never bothered to learn her name. She watched with narrowed eyes.

"I know," her friend replied. "He always seemed so nice. A bit quiet, but nice."

"I suppose it's not really that much of a surprise," the first girl shrugged. "It's always the quiet ones who are the most messed up."

"But still, blowing up city hall? They said on the news that they're still pulling out bodies."

Right around there, Asuka decided that she'd had enough. She was halfway out of her seat when a kick to the back of the chair made her turn around. Toji only met her eye for an instant, but the minute shake of his head was fairly emphatic. She would have ignored him had she not noticed his hand gripping the edge of the desk. There was so much force behind it that his knuckles were white.

She settled down with a low sigh and sat back in her seat. She knew that this kind of thing was to be expected, it was the first day of school since the bombing after all. That didn't make it any easier to hear them saying these things about Shinji.

The bell rang, prompting Asuka to shove her things into her bag and storm out of the classroom. The other students gave her a wide berth. Asuka Langley Sohryu's temper was legend, and none dared test her when she was clearly in a bad mood. Within minutes, she found herself on the roof and looking out at the city. For a long moment, she stood silently, feeling the frustration building inside. "Idiots," she spat. "Stupid idiots."

"They don't have a reason to doubt the official story," Kensuke's voice said from behind her. "They don't know what we do."

She turned to find the two stooges walking toward her. "They know him" she growled. "Shouldn't that be enough to know something doesn't add up?"

"But they don't know him," Toji said. He held up his hands defensively at the death glare Asuka shot him. "Hey, I hate hearing that shit about him just as much as you, but let's be real. Even before he left, most of the people here thought Shinji was just the weird quiet kid who piloted a giant robot."

The redhead sighed and sat down, pushing a hand through her hair. Her shoulders sagged. "Yeah," she muttered. "I know."

Toji and Kensuke sat down a few feet away from her. "Did you have a chance to talk to Misato yet?"

"No," she replied with a shake of her head. "She hasn't been home since the bombing. I've talked to her for maybe a total of a minute since then."

"When do you think she'll be back?" Kensuke looked nervous.

Asuka pursed her lips, "She said she hoped to be home tonight, but I don't know. I'll talk to her as soon as I can."

The sound of someone clearing their throat made the three teens spin around, the color draining from their faces. Hikari stood looking sheepish a couple yards away from them, a pair of lunchboxes in her hand. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I? I…brought a lunch for Suzuhara."

Toji stood up and took the proffered lunchbox with a warm smile. "Thanks, Class Rep." He glanced back at Kensuke and Asuka. "Do you want to sit with us?"

Hikari smiled, "I would like that."

As she sat down, the boys and Asuka exchanged wary glances. "So, Hikari," Asuka began, forcing a smirk to her face. "Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?"

The pigtailed girl looked positively mortified at the suggestion. "Of course not," she said. "I just overheard a little when I came up. Something about talking to Misato about something."

A quick exchange of glances and Asuka nodded. "I'm going to ask her about the bombing. About Shinji's involvement." She studied her friend's face for a moment. "You don't believe that he was involved, do you?"

"It's just so unbelievable," Hikari said. "He's always been so nice. It must be some kind of mistake."

The conversation faltered after that. The four students sat quietly and ate their lunches.

#

* * *

#

Misato Katsuragi liked to say that her office was a lesson in chaos theory. It wasn't because she felt it was a particularly apt description – she barely even knew what chaos theory entailed. She just always enjoyed watching Ritsuko's eye twitch in frustration when she said it. At the moment though, the chaos part at least was decidedly appropriate. Literally thousands of folders and papers stood in haphazard stacks around the office. The wave of orders, requisitions, complaints, and reports in the wake of the bombing had been unrelenting through the entire weekend.

Now, a haggard looking Misato struggled to keep her eyes open as she placed the last form on a stack and slumped back into her seat. She had walked into NERV late Friday afternoon, not even an hour after the bombing. It was now half past noon on Monday. In that time, she'd managed to grab maybe four hours of sleep on the small, uncomfortable cot in the corner of the office.

Hauling herself to her feet with a heavy sigh, she trudged toward the door, her feet knocking around the dozens of empty Styrofoam coffee cups littering the floor. That was the other complaint the raven-haired woman had. She hadn't had a single beer all weekend and it was wearing on her.

Lost in her own thoughts and exhaustion, Misato barely even realized that she was walking through the hallways until a voice called out behind her. "Colonel Katsuragi."

Misato glanced over her shoulder to find Makoto Hyuga walking toward her at a quick pace. She slowed to a stop to allow the bespectacled technician to catch up with her.

"We haven't seen you out of your office in days," he said. "Do you need anything?"

Misato shook her head. "Just someone to get the forms out of my office and delivered," she said hoarsely. The countless hours on the phone, many of them shouting furiously, hadn't done her voice any favors. "I'm done."

Hyuga nodded, "I'll take care of it." He started to turn to walk away.

Misato frowned, "Hyuga?"

He stopped and turned back toward her, "Yes, ma'am?"

"Have you heard anything new?"

The tech cocked his head to the side, "About the bombing?" He paused. "There really hasn't been anything new."

Rubbing her eyes, Misato nodded. "Have you seen this video I've been hearing so much about?"

"No," Hyuga replied with a shake of his head. "I don't know anyone who has, actually. I don't think the commanders have circulated it much."

Misato stopped walking and crossed her arms. "Does that make any sense to you?"

"Well," he said slowly, pushing up his glasses, "there could still be sensitive information in it. Something that can't be released yet for some reason."

The colonel's shoulders visibly tensed. "I'm not saying they should give it out to the public. But why would it be a problem if they shared it with some of us here? I know I could sure as hell use all the information available."

Hyuga took a moment to examine Misato's expression, "You don't think they're lying about it, do you?"

"What do you think?" Misato's asked in a low voice.

His brow furrowed, "I kind of have a hard time believing that Shinji was involved in something like that."

Misato nodded. "I can't believe he was involved," she said. "There's no way."

The nerdy tech's eyes darted nervously around the hallway, "What would the commanders have to gain from making something like that up?"

For a long moment, Misato didn't respond. "I need a ride home," she said abruptly.

"Uh, I beg your pardon?" Hyuga blinked in confusion.

"I've been up for almost three days straight," she said. "There's no way I can drive myself home. I'd probably pass out on the road."

Cleary confused by the sudden change in the conversation, Hyuga frowned. "Well…I can give you a lift if you want."

Misato nodded gratefully and offered a slight grin. "Thanks. In that case, just let me grab something from my office and we can get going." She turned and strolled briskly back toward her office.

Ten minutes later, Misato dropped into the passenger seat of Hyuga's car. She politely pretended not to notice the faint embarrassed flush that appeared on the tech's face when he had to move the pile of manga into the back seat so she could sit down. The drive passed in near silence, with Misato seemingly too tired to speak and Hyuga deciding not to force conversation.

He cast occasional glances toward her from the corner of his eye, alternating between her beautiful face and the thick folder in her lap. Misato just stared out the windshield, watching the city slide past as she drummed her fingers absently on the folder.

A few blocks from her apartment, Misato looked down at the folder. She squeezed her tired eyes shut, willing them to focus for just a little longer. She opened the folder and started leafing through the pages, copies of the documents Kaji had left her. The originals were safely hidden and these copies accompanied her practically everywhere.

Her gaze turned to Hyuga, who was trying desperately to pretend he wasn't watching her. She chewed thoughtfully on the inside of her cheek. If there was going to be any hope of bringing down the commander, she would need help. The trouble was figuring out who to bring in on the conspiracy. There were plenty of people she would _like_ to have on her side, but almost none that she knew she could trust.

For several long minutes, she weighed her options. Hyuga would definitely be an asset in her private war. Would he be willing to join her though? Sure, he obviously found her attractive and was eager to please, but that was a far cry from being ready to do what technically amounted to high treason. Even if he would be willing to do something like that, there was no guarantee that he would believe her.

Misato pinched the bridge of her nose. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, Hyuga beat her to it. "Do you really think Shinji had nothing to do with the bombing?"

Misato's head snapped up. "I'm sure of it," she said. "I take it you have doubts?"

Hyuga took a second to gather his thoughts. "Like I said, I have a hard time believing that he was involved. I think there must be some kind of mistake."

Well, this seemed like a promising opportunity. Misato decided to approach it delicately. "I don't think it's a mistake at all."

"You think it's a lie?" Hyuga sounded uncertain as he pulled to a stop in front of Misato's apartment.

She looked down at the folder in her lap. "It would hardly be the first important thing the commander's lied to us about."

A look of concern crossed the lieutenant's face. "What do you mean?"

Misato forced back a yawn and sighed. Wordlessly, she handed the folder to him.

"What's this?" he asked as his eyes started rapidly roving across the first page inside. As he read, his back straightened and the color faded from his face. Misato watched him anxiously. He finally looked up, eyes wide, after reading a dozen or so pages. He gulped. "Where did you get this?"

"A friend left it for me," she said cryptically. "Someone I trust completely."

"Why did you show it to me?" he asked, pushing hand through his hair.

A look of stony determination hardened Misato's tired face. It was a look familiar to anyone who'd seen her during an Angel battle. "I need your help," she said.

"With what?" Hyuga's expression was one of unabashed nervousness.

A harsh smirk spread across her face. "We're going to war."

#

* * *

#

Shinji forced himself to control his breathing as the gun in his hand clicked. He released the empty clip and grabbed a new one, ramming it home and chambering a round. Six more shots echoed through the room before he engaged the safety and set the gun down. He took a deep breath as he looked at the paper targets arrayed in front of him.

Vasily stepped up next to him and nodded approvingly. "Very good, Shinji," he said. "I only counted four misses. You have improved considerably."

"Thank you," Shinji said. "I just…is this really going to be helpful if I'm in a real fight?"

"It's not ideal," Kaji admitted as he stepped up next to Vas. "If we had the time, we'd be putting you through something much more intense."

"How much time would that take?" Shinji asked. "We've been here for days already. It feels like we haven't been doing anything useful."

Kaji frowned. "I know, Shinji. We're still trying to piece together what happened back in Tokyo-3."

"I know," the boy muttered. "Did you figure anything out yet?"

Kaji and Vas exchanged a glance. "Just suspicions," the Russian said. "We don't have much in the way of a plan yet."

Shinji crossed his arms, "I think I'm entitled to know what's going on. I'm just as much a part of this as you are."

A heavy silence fell over the gun range for a long minute. Kaji nodded, "You're right, Shinji." After a nod from Vas, he continued, "Come on, we'll show you what we've got so far."

Shinji followed them to the situation room, a sizeable room lined with screens. In the center of the room was a large table. Shinji noted that a series of projectors were built into the table's surface. Kaji strode over to a laptop that was plugged directly into the table. A three dimensional holographic representation of Tokyo-3 appeared on the tabletop.

"We don't really know what's going on," Kaji said. "In fact, I doubt anyone outside of the city does." He punched in another command and a transparent red cylinder was layered around the city.

Vasily gestured to the cylinder. "It seems that a total communications blackout has been imposed on the city," he said. "Internet access is being cut off at the service providers in the city, while television, radio, and just about all other signals are being blocked by some kind of sophisticated jamming system."

"The only signal that's come out of the city since Friday are repeated warnings to passing aircraft that Tokyo-3 airspace is closed," Kaji added. "Ground traffic is still being turned away by JSSDF troops, but they aren't giving out any information."

Shinji stared at the hologram. "So, my father's managed to completely isolate all of Tokyo-3. We knew all of that on Friday. Isn't there anything new?"

Kaji brought an excerpt from an official looking document up on one of the screens on the wall. "It turns out that NERV's United Nations charter gives the commander authority to go dark like this under emergency circumstances." He grimaced, "I have no idea what kind of systems they're using to do it. Whatever it is must be absurdly powerful to cut the entire city off so completely."

"So…so we have no idea what's going on?" Worry was plainly written on Shinji's expression.

"We've managed to access some Keyhole spy satellite images," Vasily said. "They are of limited use, but it seems like the city is under martial law. JSSDF troops patrol the streets twenty-four hours a day and it appears that a curfew is in effect." While Vas explained, Kaji brought up satellite surveillance images.

Shinji tried to study the photos, but couldn't really make heads or tails of them. "What about the…"

"There's been no sign of Eva deployment," Kaji cut him off, anticipating the question.

The fourteen year old visibly relaxed. "I guess you aren't expecting to be able to learn much more," he stated.

"Not from the outside," Kaji replied.

Shinji's head snapped up. "You mean we're going back?"

The scruffy spy shook his head. "We're not. At least not yet." He went on at Shinji's confused look, "You and I still have to get to New Manhattan. That's more important than ever now."

"Then what…" he trailed off as he looked over at Vas.

The Alpha Group leader nodded, "My team will infiltrate Tokyo-3 and get a feel for the situation. We'll figure out how the jamming works and try to make contact with anybody who might be friendly to our cause."

Shinji glanced toward Kaji, "Misato?"

"She's as good a place as any to start," Kaji said.

Shinji nodded his understanding. Then something occurred to him and he frowned. "How much do you think you'll be able to accomplish with just a few people in the city?" Shinji struggled to piece together the plan. "You'll be outnumbered right off the bat."

"That's where we come in," Kaji interjected. "If we do what we need to in New Manhattan, we'll have all the help we need."

Shinji looked back and forth between the two men. "I thought you said you didn't quite have a plan yet."

"Okay, that was a little lie," Kaji smirked. "We weren't sure if you were ready to hear about it all. You proved to us that you were."

"I want to end this all," Shinji said as he glanced toward the floor. "I want to go home." He looked back up, feeling a surge of emotion, "I want to stop my father."

Kaji and Vas nodded. "Good," Kaji said. "Because we'll be ready to move in the next day or two."

#

* * *

#

The door to the Katsuragi apartment slid open with a low hiss. Asuka stepped inside with a weary groan. School had been a colossal waste of time, not that that was anything new. There hadn't even been another opportunity to talk to the stooges after lunch, so things were essentially sitting in neutral on that front.

She perked up at the sight of Misato's shoes next to the door. She was finally home. Maybe something useful would come out of today after all. Stepping out of her own shoes, Asuka walked into the living room to find her guardian passed out on the couch. Well, half on the couch would be more accurate. The woman's upper body had made it onto the cushions, but her legs were on the floor.

Asuka rolled her eyes and quietly stepped across the living room, shaking her head. Misato murmured in her sleep as the teen's foot hit an empty beer can on the floor. When Asuka reached the couch, she grabbed Misato's legs and carefully lifted them onto the couch with the rest of her body. Asuka looked at the sleeping woman with a wry grin on her face and turned toward her room.

"Asuka?" Misato's tired voice called out from behind her.

The redhead stopped and grimaced. Figures the one time she actually tries to let the woman sleep is the one time she wakes up at the drop of a hat. "Yeah, Misato, it's me," she said as she turned around again. "Welcome home."

"Thanks," Misato groaned as she sat up. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, "What time is it?"

Asuka glanced at the clock, "A little after four."

She nodded. "Three hours," she whispered to herself. "That should hold me over until tonight." She looked at Asuka as the teen walked back into the living room and sat on the other end of the sofa. "How have you been holding up the last couple days?"

Asuka furrowed her brow. "I'm getting by," she said. An awkward silence ensued for a few moments before she spoke again. "Have you learned anything new about what happened?"

Misato stared at Asuka for a few seconds before her eyes turned toward the floor thoughtfully. "No," she finally said, "I haven't. It doesn't seem like anybody has, either. I don't think anyone's even seen the tape the commander talked about."

A small noise of derision made its way out of Asuka's throat. "Still nothing about Shinji?"

"Nothing," Misato said with a shake of her head. "He's definitely not in Tokyo-3 anymore, as far as I can tell." She studied Asuka curiously, "Did you really think there would be?"

"I figured there might be more of an effort in it now that he's a terrorist mastermind." The bitterness in the girl's voice was impossible to miss.

Misato frowned, clearly hurt by Asuka's implication, "You think we weren't really looking for him before?"

"I think you were," she replied, leaning back into her seat. "I'm not so sure the commander's all that worried about getting him back safe and sound."

Misato chewed at her lower lip thoughtfully. "You think there's something not quite right about this whole situation, don't you?"

Asuka snorted, "That's an understatement."

"Me too," Misato said quietly.

Abruptly, Asuka stood up. "Let's go out for dinner," she said.

Misato blinked, struggling to keep up with the sudden change in the conversation's direction. She was about to decline, to say that she was too tired, but stopped herself. Asuka appeared to have come alive, filled with an energy that Misato had rarely seen from her lately. A fire burned in the girl's eyes. She nodded, "Okay."

Asuka grinned and retreated to her room. She quickly changed out of her school uniform and opened the drawer of her nightstand. Hidden safely at the bottom was a small SD memory card. She quickly pocketed it and shut the drawer.

Out in the living room, she found Misato waiting patiently, her red bomber jacket slung over her shoulder. "I don't have my car," she said. "I was too tired to drive myself home, so I had Hyuga drive me." She grinned apologetically, "So we'll have to go somewhere close by."

"Whatever," Asuka shrugged. "How about that ramen place a couple blocks away?"

Misato considered this for a moment and nodded her consent. As they left the apartment, Asuka pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She fired off a quick text message and put the device away.

In the restaurant, the two sat in a contemplative silence for several long minutes. Neither of them said anything, save for the few words it took to place their orders. After that, they went back to studying each other from across the table. Misato finally leaned forward and rested her elbows on the edge of the table, "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

Asuka's expression hovered around indecision for a second before settling into resolve. "Yeah," she said. Misato started to say something, but Asuka reached into her pocket and placed an SD card on the table. She slid it toward Misato.

The older woman picked it up and frowned, "What's this?"

Asuka's gaze flicked around the restaurant before returning to Misato, "Just watch it."

Frowning, Misato slid the card into the appropriate slot on the side of her phone. Finding only one file in the card's directory, she opened it to find black and white security footage. She looked up and cast a quizzical look at Asuka. The girl's intense gaze led her to look back down at the video. A few minutes later, she looked back up with wide eyes. "Where did you get this?" Her voice was hoarse.

Asuka didn't say anything, but nodded toward the door. Turning around in her seat, Misato found herself looking at Toji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida as they approached their table.

The boys stopped and bowed when they reached the table. "Good evening Colonel Katsuragi," they said in unison.

"Uh, hey guys," she said distractedly. Her gaze had returned to the paused video on the cell phone.

Toji lifted an eyebrow and looked at Asuka, "Okay, Devil, we're here. What's going on?"

"I just showed Misato the tape," she said.

Misato's head snapped up at that. "They know about this too?"

"They're the ones who showed it to me," Asuka replied

The colonel wearily studied the nervous looking boys. "I think you'd better start at the beginning."

Asuka nodded as Toji and Kensuke sat down.

#

* * *

#

Commander Ikari assumed his usual pose as he sat behind his desk. His sunglasses somehow managed to take the low light of the office and menacingly reflect it back at Director Olev, who stood at attention on the other side of the desk. "What is it, Olev?"

"I've received an update from Phantom and Task Group Seven," Olev reported.

"And?"

"They've located Kaji and the Third," the director said. "They are hiding out at a Russian military base on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. It seems that our suspicions were correct. They do appear to be with an Alpha Group team."

"I see," Ikari said. "Do they have a plan yet?"

Olev shook his head, "Not yet, sir. The risk of a raid on the base is too high. They are waiting for an opening. Most likely, they will be unable to act until the targets leave the base for something."

Ikari leaned back in his seat. "Have they shown any signs that they will leave the base in the near future?"

Olev frowned thoughtfully. "I really could not say, sir. Kaji and the Third have only been out in the open a handful of times, and never together. The Alpha team has been in and out more frequently, but it is difficult to say what they are planning."

Ikari nodded. He showed no sign of an emotional response, but Olev suspected that he was less than pleased. "Very well," he said. "Tell them to stand by for the time being. If an opening presents itself, they are to take it."

"Yes, sir," Olev said. "I'll relay the order immediately." He paused for a second. "There's something else, Commander."

Ikari arched an eyebrow.

"I've had a team looking into the Vice Commander's activities since the Third's escape, as you asked," he said.

"Have they found something?" The commander actually sounded interested.

Olev nodded, "Yes, Commander, they have. A phone record from the night of the escape."

"Why did it take this long to find something like that?"

Olev visibly tensed at the unspoken rebuke. "Sir, the call was made from a prepaid cell phone that we did not know the Vice Commander possessed. The smashed remains were discovered in his trash."

"What exactly did this call entail?" Ikari asked as he leaned forward in his seat again.

Olev reached into his uniform's breast pocket and pulled out a small recording device. He pressed play and placed it on Ikari's desk.

The sound of a ringing phone carried through the air for a second. "Hello?" a voice that Ikari immediately recognized as Agent Kaji asked.

The commander's eyes narrowed as Fuyutsuki's voice responded, "Section Two has been moved to Condition Black Three."

"When?" Kaji asked after a brief pause.

"Four minutes ago," Fuyutsuki's voice said.

The recording ended there. Ikari stared at the device on his desk. "It seems the vice commander has betrayed us," he said after a long moment.

"Yes, sir, it does," Olev said. "How would you like to proceed?"

Ikari took a second to consider this. "Have Section Two take him into custody," he ordered. "We can decide what to do with him once he is in a cell."

Olev nodded. "With your permission, Commander, I will see to it at once."

Ikari nodded. Olev turned on his heel and strode toward the door. Another question from the commander brought Olev to a stop. "Has the conditioning of the JSSDF troops commenced?"

Olev paused as he recalled his earlier briefing on the matter. "It has commander," he said. "The chemical additives have been introduced to all of their meals and the subliminal messaging program is in full swing."

"Do you have an idea of effectiveness?" Ikari asked.

"We have no way of knowing," Olev said. "Short of an event that will test their loyalty, it is impossible to be sure. Our best guess is currently around fifty percent."

Ikari nodded. "Very well, you are dismissed."

The commander stared at the door as it closed, hands folded in front of his face. His mind raced through what he had just learned. A low sigh escaped his lips. "I never thought it would come to this, Professor," he whispered.

#

* * *

#

Shinji wiped away the sweat running down his forehead as he panted heavily, trying mightily to ignore the burning in his chest. He listened to the regular rhythm of his feet as he circled the indoor track. He had no idea how long he'd been running in this circle, but he was rapidly reaching his limit.

"Faster, Shinji," the muscular Russian man shouted in English from one side of the wall.

"I'm trying," Shinji panted back as he redoubled his efforts, once again glad that his old teacher had insisted that he learn English. He was rewarded with a harsher burn in his lungs and no extra speed. Shinji had always taken a small measure of pride in his ability to run, but he was seriously being put through the wringer here. It was working though, he figured. His endurance, while nothing extraordinary, had noticeably improved during his brief time here, as had his speed.

The boy's train of thought was disrupted by a flurry of motion out of the corner of his eye. His Evangelion-battle-honed reflexes instantly had him diving away to avoid the kick aimed at his midsection. He scrambled to his feet and fell into a ready posture, still panting heavily. "What was that for, Lev?"

Lev was introduced to Shinji as Vas's resident hand-to-hand combat expert. Until this moment, Shinji had been of the mind that he was a good teacher. He taught Shinji a handful of useful moves for when he got into a fight and did a great job of pushing him to build his endurance. He'd never randomly attacked before.

"Testing your reflexes," Lev said. "Good dodge. Now try to hit me."

Shinji wiped more sweat away from his forehead. "I kind of need a minute here."

"You won't get a minute in a real fight," Lev said. He threw a punch at Shinji's face, forcing the boy to dodge. "Now try to hit me," he said again, punctuating each word with a swing.

Drawing in a deep breath, Shinji sidestepped a punch and moved in toward the Russian. He dodged another punch and threw one of his own. Lev easily caught it and tossed Shinji away. The boy grunted as he landed in a heap. He rolled out of the way to avoid another attack and pushed himself to his feet. He charged in, ducking his head under a punch and feinted with his left before throwing a right hook.

Lev dodged and gave him a solid punch in the stomach for his trouble. Shinji dropped to his hands and knees, the breath knocked out of him. It took a second, but he managed to breathe again. He looked up, past Lev and toward the door. "Vas," he called out, forcing a grin to his face.

Automatically, Lev straightened up. "Commander," he said as he turned around to find a shut door and no sign of his commanding officer. He realized his error an instant too late. Shinji swept the soldier's legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the floor. Shinji stood over the man with a nervous grin.

Lev laughed heartily as he climbed back to his feet. "Well done, Shinji. It has been a long time since someone managed to knock me down."

A small smile formed on Shinji's face. "I wasn't sure if you'd be annoyed by that trick."

"You used something you knew would work to give yourself an advantage," Lev replied with a shake of his head. "I couldn't be happier."

Shinji's smile faltered as he sat down and started catching his breath. "I mean, I won't be able to use that in a fight."

Lev shrugged. "It doesn't matter," he said. "The point is that you were thinking in the right way. You were looking for any kind of advantage you could get. That will serve you well."

Shinji's smile returned as his breathing returned to normal. Lev tossed him a water bottle and towel.

Half an hour later, Shinji found himself in the Alpha team's mess hall, wolfing down a plate of he didn't even know or care what. He looked up as Kaji pulled up a seat across the table. "Vas tells me your crash course is going well," he said.

Shinji shrugged. "I guess," he said. "I'm better than before, but I'm still not great."

"It takes a long time to develop solid shooting skills," Kaji said. "Any ability you have will be useful though. Besides, if you're lucky, you won't need to fire your gun."

Shinji sat quietly for a moment. He looked up at the ponytailed man. "Kaji? Have you killed a lot people?"

Kaji's expression darkened. "More than I care to remember," he said.

"How do you deal with it?" the boy asked.

The man took a moment to consider the question. "You try not to think of it," he finally said. "If you have to think of it, you try to remember why you did it."

"What do you mean?"

Kaji leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "In the moment, it was him or you. Or him or your friends. You're fighting for what you love, and you have to protect that." He paused. "You have to know what you're fighting for."

Shinji nodded slowly. "I know what I'm fighting for."

"Then you'll do fine," Kaji said. "It will be hard, but you'll make it."

#

* * *

#

Vice Commander Fuyutsuki shuffled through the plethora of papers on his desk, a dour frown on his face. Once upon a time he considered this type of clerical work the most excruciating part of his job. Lately though, he found himself happy to take on any task that kept him away from Ikari. The less time spent around the commander, the better.

His work was disrupted by the opening of his office door. He glared and opened his mouth, ready to dress down whoever had the nerve to barge into his office without so much as a knock. He stopped short at the sight of Hiroji Sato's concerned expression. The Section Two agent had a finger pressed against his earpiece and seemed to be listening intently to something.

After a handful of seconds, he lowered his hand and looked at the vice commander. "Bad news, sir," he said. "Commander Ikari's ordered us to take you into custody."

The pen slipped out of Fuyutsuki's hand. "For what?"

Sato's hand inched toward his gun, just enough to be perceptible. "For aiding and abetting a terrorist. You're wanted for helping get Pilot Ikari out of the city."

Fuyutsuki swore under his breath. "So what happens now?"

"Is it true?" Sato's voice shook, ever so slightly. His hand twitched in the direction of his gun again.

"Half of it," Fuyutsuki said levelly. "I did help Ikari get away. But he is _not_ a terrorist."

Sato regarded him for a moment before he drew his gun. Fuyutsuki hung his head and sighed, resigned to his fate. Instead of moving to arrest him though, the Section Two agent cracked open the office door and peered out into the hallway. "Then we need to get you out of here," he said. "We'd better move quickly."

Fuyutsuki stood up, more than a little surprised. "That's it?"

Sato glanced back at the older man and frowned. "I just needed to hear it from you, sir. We don't exactly have time for the whole story right now."

The older man nodded and rounded the desk. "So what does happen now?"

Sato was looking out at the hallway again. "We make a run for the motor pool and barrel out of here like a bat out of hell," he said. "It's not that long of a run to the garage." He pushed open the door and stepped into the hallway, gesturing for the vice commander to follow him.

"Everything in the motor pool is outfitted with a GPS tracker," Fuyutsuki said as he followed Sato out of the office. "We won't get very far like that."

"We don't need to get far," Sato replied. "Just away from headquarters. After that, we can ditch the car and find somewhere to lay low."

Fuyutsuki nodded as he followed Sato into a stairwell. They hustled down three flights of stairs before encountering anyone. "Freeze," a Section Two agent, one who Fuyutsuki recognized as another member of his security detail, shouted. He stood on the landing they'd just past, pointing a gun at them.

Without hesitation, Sato whipped around and opened fire in the other agent's direction. None of the shots hit, but the agent retreated back up the stairs and out of sight. Sato grabbed the vice commander's arm and started him running down the stairs again. He sent an occasional shot back up the stairs to keep the pursuing agent at bay. A couple minutes later, they burst through a door and into NERV's expansive garage.

Sato pointed to a black sedan a few yards away. Fuyutsuki nodded and the two men took off toward the car. Sato smashed the driver side window with his elbow and reached in to hit the power locks. They dove into the car, Sato being careful on the shattered glass. Half a dozen Section Two agents sprinted through the door and opened fire on the car.

The vehicle's bulletproofing protected them while Sato took a couple seconds to hotwire the car. He threw the car into drive and burned rubber as he accelerated toward the steep slope of the tunnel that connected the Geofront to the surface. The heavy blast shields were slowly grinding closed. "Hold on tight, sir," Sato growled.

The car's engine roared as the car raced through the tunnel. They cleared the first blast door easily as gunshots pounded the back of the car, several splintering the bulletproof rear window. The doors closed slowly enough that the next four didn't pose any real threat, though each one was a little closer than the last.

The final blast door was flush with the street. It was also nearly completely closed. "Can we make it through that opening?" Fuyutsuki asked, a nervous quiver in his voice.

"Let's find out," Sato muttered. He carefully manipulated the car to line up with the steadily shrinking opening. He gritted his teeth while Fuyutsuki winced. The scream of tortured metal filled the air as the side mirrors were sheared off along with the paint on either side of the car. The wheels left the ground as the car launched out into the open air. It landed with a crash and took off down the street.

* * *

A/N: WABAM. I am back. I'm really happy with the way this chapter turned out. Less so with how long it took to get out, but that's life. You folks should strap in, because from here on out, I'm dropping a brick on this story's accelerator. The players are taking their places and things are rushing toward the explosive conclusion.

Last chapter's brief look at Post-Third Impact Earth seemed pretty well received. I originally planned to include the next glimpse in this chapter, but it had already taken so long to get out that I pushed it back. It's most likely going to open the next chapter, which I've already started writing. I'll be honest, I never really planned to spend all this much time in P3I Earth, but I altered my plans because of popular demand. I'm glad I did, because I think it enriches the story, but I hope you'll forgive me if it feels less thought out than the rest of the story.

Review Acknowledgements:

**Chuckman**: Did I really pick the right interpretation? Awesome. In all honesty, my knowledge of Japanese is essentially nil, so I just picked the meaning that seemed the least hopeless to me. I'm not really sure where the poetic quality came from in the post strangling scene, as it's pretty different from my usual style. It just kind of flowed. I was thrilled with the way it turned out.

**Jack**: I'm going to have to beg for your forgiveness, my friend. No P3I here, but I can promise a nice hefty serving of it in the next chapter. I didn't really put much thought into the name "Skyfall" beyond wanting to give the latest James Bond movie a shoutout.

**JDH1080**: Sorry to disappoint on the P3I front. Stay tuned though, there's quite a bit of it in the pipeline. I hope you enjoy this installment still.

**Ben**: Yes and no on the Angel attacks. It's been a while out of story, but in universe it hasn't been that long. Next chapter will see the next one, though. As for the sequel theory, it certainly has some compelling evidence supporting it, but I'm not sure if I buy it. It seems a little simplistic for Anno. That's how I see it at least.

**Lady SJ**: Orchestrating the Silence was phenomenal. I don't expect my representation of P3I will match up with its quality, but I hope it's enjoyable nonetheless.

**cltheo**: Haha. No, Skyfall was purely a shoutout to the Bond movie. I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am that people are enjoying this story. I've had a blast writing it, so it's awesome that people like it. Here's to your guys' continued enjoyment.

**watchdog**: Shinji will indeed man up. He won't become a total badass, but he'll definitely step it up. And Kozo…as it turns out, he can't stay under the radar very long.

**Ctelenku**: I'm glad you're willing to wait. Sorry I made you wait this long.


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